


The Blood Price

by PowerOptix



Category: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Video Game)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, I had fun with this not going to lie, Mother-Son Relationship, Post-Canon, fic contains canon/oc, halloween fic, if that's not your jam you should definitely give this fic a hard pass, ocs as major characters, possibly slightly atonal, self indulgent af, with a lean towards horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:03:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20847956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PowerOptix/pseuds/PowerOptix
Summary: There is a spell that can bring the dead back to life but at a price.





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Annabelle Fielding paused before the hallway mirror to check her hair. She was a grey-furred mouse with dark hair that she usually liked to keep tied up in a simple bun, but for a night out with friends, had first braided it. Satisfied with her appearance, she turned to her son, Aurelius. “Are you sure you'll be all right on your own, sweetie?”

Aurelius had brown fur like his father, but with a fur pattern that he had inherited from her. He rolled his eyes. “Mother _please_, I'm seventeen. You would think I'm old enough to look after myself for a few hours. Besides. You could use the cheering up.”

“So could _you_.”

Aurelius looked away briefly and mumbled. “It's fine, Mother, it's fine. I'll probably just… I don't know, veg out to the telly or something.”

She cupped his cheek with one hand. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.”

“All right.” She planted a kiss on his forehead. “Love you, sweetie.”

He smiled. “Love you too, Mother. Have fun.”

“I will,” she called back. Then she pulled on her shawl and bonnet before heading out.

He heaved a sigh once she had gone and turned to the painting that hung on the main wall of the hallway. Three faces smiled back at him; Those of his mother, his father, and his seven year old self. His father had been the one to commission the portrait and had insisted that they all look happy for the occasion. Annabelle recalled that their faces had ached after each sitting but couldn't deny that the end result had ultimately been worth it. And Aurelius was glad that he had, because the only picture he had of the man was this one painting of his smiling face. And if not for the painting, Aurelius would have long forgotten what he looked like as he had long forgotten the sound of his voice; He had died not long after the picture had been painted. “Father,” he said aloud. “I found something in the Library at Goldpaw. A spell. One that can bring you back to life. I'll have to… I'll have to hurt myself to cast it, but I… I'll do it. If that's what it takes, I'll do it.” He gripped the painting's ornate frame, one that had been carved out of wood. “I won't just have this picture of you anymore, Father. I'm going to get you _back_.”

Aurelius took his travel cloak off the cloak stand and pulled it on before heading upstairs to his room to collect his satchel – since he was not in possession of an arms band to store his items – and his CeeDlink, which was a mobile communication device with Leafbook integration that had been invented by the creative minds of Broadleaf. He also kept a wand in a small case in the top drawer of his desk, so he pulled the drawer open and removed the wand from its casing. It then joined his CeeDlink in the satchel. The next item on the list was a bandage from the first aid box they kept in the bathroom, then back downstairs to the kitchen to collect a knife. He hesitated, staring at the knife in his hand with an apprehension that took some moments to quell before that too was packed away. That left one final item – the household lantern – before he was ready to depart. Aurelius pulled out his wand, focused on his destination and then Travelled away.

He rematerialised in the Cat's Cradle tripdoor and glanced around. Some soldiers were on patrol, but they were moving away and hadn't noticed his arrival. Ding Dong Dell didn't have a curfew per se but any soldiers he ran into would certainly have cause to question a lone seventeen year old running around the city at _this_ hour, and he had no answer to give; By now his destination would be closed to the public. He repacked his wand, pulled up his hood and stole away in the direction of the cemetery.

* * *

Aurelius stopped before the gates and paused to look up. Metal had been twisted into letters which spelt out “Ding Dong Dell Cemetery” in Dellian script and formed an arch over the entrance. He looked down. The gates had been locked by the groundskeeper so he pulled out his wand again and tapped the lock. There was a _click_ and both lock and chain fell to the ground with a rattle and a _clunk_. The gates swung forward on rusted hinges and a squealing noise pierced the night air. He stole a furtive glance back down the cobbled pathway before pressing on. Before commencing the search for his father's grave, he needed to borrow a shovel from the groundskeeper. But to do _that_, he first had to _find_ the groundskeeper's toolshed, a task that took him a good half hour in the dark. The door to the toolshed fell easily to a Spring Lock and a shovel was soon in his hands. Now to find his father's grave. This was easier said than done with the cemetery looking very different under the cover of night. In the general area where he knew the grave to be, he searched the gravestones with the aid of his lantern, reading name after name until finally coming upon the one he was looking for. Casting one last look around him, he placed the lantern down beside his feet, and began to dig.

* * *

_Thunk_. The shovel at last struck wood. Aurelius paused to wipe his brow before continuing to shovel soil until he had excavated the lid of the coffin. He paused to straighten and pull back his hood as he stared at the coffin, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do next. “Do forgive me for this, Father,” he murmured aloud. He knelt, wedged the blade of the shovel under the lid and pried it open. Instantly the stench of death hit him and he fell back, coughing and spluttering, eyes watering, the lid falling closed. He tried again, but this time he took a deep breath and pried open the lid with his head turned away, until he could wedge the fingers of one hand in the gap and push it back. He threw the shovel to one side and clamped his other hand over his nose as he peered at the corpse that had been buried within. If it not for the painting in the hallway, Aurelius would not have been able to glean his appearance from his rotting cadaver; Years of decay had eaten away at parts of his face, rendering the man nearly unrecognisable. And his clothes, now faded and in tatters, were a far cry from the bright colours depicted in his portrait.

Aurelius tore his gaze away from the sight and pulled out his CeeDlink. Frowning at the screen, he mumbled to himself as he read, “The blood must flow into their mouth.” And sighed. “Of _course_ it must.” He placed the device down and gingerly and hesitantly pried the corpse's teeth apart, then he pulled out the knife and gulped. He hovered the knife over an upturned palm and held them both over the corpse's open mouth but his heart began to thud in his chest and his hands began to shake. He wasn't squeamish, but still, here in the moment, he quailed at the thought of deliberately wounding himself.

“You can _do_ this, Aurelius. Just one cut and you'll see him again.” He worked up the nerve to run the blade across his hand and gasped when he felt the metal bite into his flesh. Then came a sharp, stinging pain and tears began to build in his eyes. Now breathing hard, he held his bleeding hand over the corpse's mouth and with his CeeDlink in the other began to recite the words to a spell.

“_With my blood I pay the price_

_With this blood, come back to life_

_Take of mine, all that you need_

_Only mine will this succeed.”_

He dropped his CeeDlink and clutched his hand to his chest. It hurt, it _hurt! _Cursing the fact that he had not thought to bring any painkillers with him, he pulled out the bandage and wincing and whimpering, wrapped it around his bleeding hand. He watched the corpse, waiting for the spell to kick in. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But nothing happened. “No, _please_,” he begged. “_Please_ work. _Please_ come back to me.”

But _still_ nothing happened. Aurelius bit his lip as tears stung his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Had he done something wrong? Had he not given enough blood? Had he messed up the words? Had he overlooked something? But consulting his CeeDlink through blurring vision suggested that he had done everything right, and that the spell _should_ have worked. Well, everything but the amount of blood required that is, it was extremely vague over _that_ little detail. The only other explanation he could think of was that perhaps he just wasn't strong enough yet. Or maybe it was one of those cases were if something seemed too good to be true, it was probably because it _was_. Well whatever the reason, the spell hadn't worked.

Aurelius hung his head as he accepted this fact then cast one last look at his father's corpse before reluctantly closing the lid of the coffin. He picked up the shovel to begin the arduous task of reburial. It was difficult with an injured hand, but he managed to achieve it by pinning the handle of the shovel under his armpit and holding it with the other. The end result was sloppy but it would have to do. He just hoped it would be unnoticeable by the time they next visited his grave. Now there was but two things left to do before he could go home; Return the shovel to the groundskeeper's toolshed, then go to the hospital to get his hand properly tended to and hope they wouldn't ask too many questions. After gathering up his belongings, Aurelius cast one final look over his shoulder before pulling up his hood and leaving the cemetery with a heavy heart.


	2. Chapter 1: A Troubling Development Comes to Light

Sunlight filtering in through the curtains brought Aurelius back to the waking world. He reluctantly hauled his eyes open and glanced blearily at the time. The clock on his bedside table read 9:33am. If this had been a school day, he would've missed tutorial altogether and been late for his first class. Fortunately this was the weekend, so he had the luxury of lying in bed for as long as he wanted. He heaved a sigh and flopped back onto his side; He had no desire to get up right away. After a few minutes of simply lying there, unmoving, he pulled out his bandaged hand. It still throbbed with pain though not as much as yesterday, but more importantly it meant that last night most definitely _did_ in fact happen. Gods he felt _miserable_. As if he had lost his father all over again, and he supposed that in some respects, he _had_. Aurelius pulled the covers up to his chin, closed his eyes and drifted off into a snooze.

* * *

Annabelle sat in the kitchen sipping tea. It was now well into the morning and Aurelius was still yet to emerge from his room. It wasn't unusual for him to slip into a bit of a mood the morning after they had visited his father's grave, but staying in this late wasn't like him. Or at least, not anymore. Perhaps she shouldn't have left him on his own last night, she thought to herself. Just as she was considering heading up to his room to check on him, she heard movement upstairs and then a few minutes later, the sound of him descending the staircase. When his appearance in the kitchen did not immediately follow, she went out to investigate. Annabelle found him staring at the painting on the wall, still in his night clothes. His entire posture was slumped and it seemed to her as though he was more depressed than usual. Her heart sank at that; She really _shouldn't_ have left him alone last night. “Is everything all right, sweetie?” He heaved a sigh and hung his head. “Did something happen last night?”

“I tried to bring Father back to life but failed,” was obviously not something he could just come out and say. But she was going to notice his bandaged hand eventually, so at the same time he couldn't just say nothing either. “I might have, um… cut myself last night while I was making dinner,” he said and showed her his hand.

Annabelle gasped when she saw the bandage. “Aurelius!? What-what _happen__ed__?!”_

“I was… thinking… about something and, well… my hand slipped. But-but it's fine. I went to the hospital afterwards and they fixed it up.”

“Was this because I wasn't there?”

“Mother, it was an _accident_. Accidents _happen_. It's not like you can protect me from them my whole life.”

“I know that, sweetie but…” She sighed; He was right. Accidents were going to happen to him whether she liked it or not. The important thing was that he was all right now and he had handled it well. “What were you thinking about?”

“I guess I was just… wondering,” he turned back to the painting. “What it would be like if Father was still here… Is it wrong that I still miss him… even though it's been so long?”

“Of course not, sweetie, you _adored_ him. And growing up without a father wasn't easy for you, it's no surprise you still feel this way even after all this time.”

“But I barely _remember_ him. If it wasn't for this painting, I wouldn't even know what he _looked_ like. And you… you never want to talk about him when I ask you.” Her expression became pained. “Whenever I do, you always change the topic. Or tell me to wait until I'm older. Well I'm older _now_, aren't I? So will you… will you _finally_ tell me about him?”

She looked away and swallowed. It was a conversation she had been dreading but one that was also inevitable. “I was… I was hoping to wait until you were eighteen.”

“I'm _seven_teen, Mother, isn't that close enough?”

“… I suppose it is,” she said at length with an expression not just of sadness but of reluctance as well.

He waited for her continue but when nothing seemed forthcoming, he prompted. “_Please_, Mother, I _have_ to know.”

Annabelle nodded, shut her eyes and sighed. “All right…” She took a deep breath. “Do you remember what I told you… about how your father died?”

“Sure. You told me he became sick and you didn't know when or _if_ he was going to get better… He didn't.”

“I never told you what really happened though, did I?”

Aurelius shrugged. “He's one of the Lost Ones, isn't he? He lost his soul to the Horned One and then he couldn't find his way back.” His expression became a scowl. “Which was all thanks to _Doloran_.”

Annabelle's expression became pained. “I think that's how you've come to remember it. Because I told you he became sick _before_ the Horned One was even released.”

He looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I know you've heard things, Aurelius. Heard what they say about him.”

He folded his arms, his expression becoming thunderous. “You mean about how Father was supposedly _working_ for Doloran? Ridiculous! They're all _lies_,” he snarled. Then his expression faltered. “A-aren't they?”

“No, Aurelius. They're not. Everything you've heard is _true_. He betrayed our King. Sold out his nation for power. And he never told me _anything_ about what he was really planning; I had to find that out from King Mausinger when he dragged me before him demanding to know what my role in it all was. That was _awful_. The worst part of it all was that… that I never got to ask him _why_. And I never _will_…”

“But… but there must be some _mistake_-”

“There's no mistake, Aurelius! It got him _killed_ didn't it?! Or do you think _I'm_ lying as well?_”_ He dropped his gaze and she relented. “I'm sorry, sweetie. I wanted to keep this from you as long as I could, but… you had to find out eventually…”

“But… but I… I don't…” He stammered as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. “I don't _understand_. Does this mean I'm supposed to _hate_ him, Mother?”

She gently cupped his cheek and said, “I know this isn't easy for you to hear, Aurelius. So let me say this; He was never unkind to you, _or_ me, so there's no shame in you remembering him fondly, despite what he did. It just doesn't change the fact that he actually _did_ those things. Do you understand?” He swallowed and nodded. “Come here, my little one.” He folded into her arms, burying his face into her shoulder and she hugged him tightly and stroked his hair.

* * *

Casper Tanner hummed to himself as he returned to his toolshed to put away his tools. Night fell earlier this time of the year, so these days he would often find himself working well into night fall. But thanks to technology from Broadleaf in the form of rechargeable electrical lanterns, toiling under these conditions had been made much easier. He certainly didn't miss the days of working by candlelight.

“_Auuurr… eeee… uuhhhh?”_

Casper froze mid step. What in Ebbswane's cursed Labyrinth was _that?_ He swung his lantern around searching for the source of that awful noise but could see nothing in the immediate vicinity. He switched off his lantern and waited for his eyes to adjust; Being humanfolk meant that he couldn't see in the dark that well but the moon was up, illuminating the cemetery in a soft, blue light. Movement drew his gaze to his right and his heart leapt in his chest; A shape was advancing towards him, one that looked like a person at first glance, until it took a lurching step forward. Casper switched his lantern back on and turned it on the creature, bathing it in a bright light, and _immediately_ wished he _hadn't_. Shuffling towards him was some… _thing_… It wasn't quite a monster as it was wearing old, tattered clothes, but it wasn't quite a person either. It looked like it was mousekind, except its ears had rotted away long ago and where its eyes and nose should be there were instead deep, dark pits sunken into its face. Even more disturbing was the fact that it appeared to be _grinning_ at him.

It came to a stop. _“Auuur… eeee… u_ _u_ _hhhh_ _?” _It asked, its jaw hanging open.

“Now… now whoever it is you're looking for. I'm not… I'm not her. You hear? I'm not her.”

“_Auuur… eee… u__u__hhhh__?” _It repeated, then took a step forward.

He stepped back. “Stay back! I don't want no trouble!” Something rolled under his foot, a rock by the feel of it, and he went down. The thing lunged at him and he threw up his hands to shield himself with a cry. A sharp pain exploded in his arm as it sank its teeth into his flesh and he howled and kicked it off. It stumbled back and he braced himself for retaliation but it uttered something that he couldn't quite make out, before turning away to his enormous surprise and confusion, as if he no longer held any interest.

“_Auuur… eee… u__u__hhhh__?” _It said again, and lurched away into the night, its withered tail dragging along behind it.

For a brief moment, Casper had thought that was the end for him and had to take a moment to calm himself before he shakily got to his feet. He glanced in the direction the creature had left to make sure it wasn't coming back then picked up his fallen tools and lantern. He would've much preferred to leave the cemetery right then and there but he kept the lock and chain he used to lock the cemetery gates in his toolshed; They were too heavy to carry around with him all day. So his toolshed was where he ran to first. Then he hauled out of the cemetery with all haste and locked the gates behind him. He whipped around at the sound of armoured footsteps rapidly approaching to find a mousekind guard sprinting up the cobbled pathway towards him.

“I heard a scream,” he explained. “Is everything all right?” Before Casper could answer, the guard suddenly noticed his bleeding arm. “What happened?”

“We have… a problem,” he replied. 

* * *

Captain Buck folded his arms and frowned. “And you are _quite_ certain of what you saw?”

“Believe me, Captain, I've worked in the cemetery long enough to know a _corpse_ when I see one,” Casper replied. “Even if it's one that's started moving around.”

“What can you tell me about this… corpse, then?”

“It was mousekind. _That_ much was obvious. Male too, judging from the clothing style and moustache. Couldn't tell you how old he was but I _can_ tell you that he was unusually short for his age; If not for said moustache I could've _easily_ mistaken him for a child. And from the state of decomposition I'd say he died and was buried about a decade ago, and since I couldn't see any obvious injuries I would _assume_ he was one of the Lost Ones.”

“I don't suppose you could put a name to this corpse?” the guard asked.

“Uuh. No. I'm afraid not.”

“Shame.”

“You wouldn't… you wouldn't happen to have noticed his tail by any chance?” Captain Buck asked.

“Oh! Why yes I did, actually. He had a long, furry tail which is unusual for your kind, isn't it?”

“Yes… It is…”

“Did you know him then?”

“No… I didn't… May I see the wound?”

“Oh. Certainly.” The guard had given him a sterile pad to press against the wound after he'd refused to be first taken to the hospital. So he simply held out his arm after carefully pulling the pad away.

Captain Buck gently took the arm and scrutinised the wound closely. It was immediately apparent that this was no monster bite; He had seen plenty of those. In fact it looked exactly like what he was claiming it to be. And he'd been bitten hard enough to break the skin. If this _was_ an elaborate hoax, Captain Buck would be forced to commend the man for his dedication. But bites that deep carried a risk of infection and Casper was getting on in years. And then there was the description of the corpse itself which was far too close to a certain someone who had died ten years prior to be the product of random chance, unless he had gone to the trouble of digging up that someone's grave, which begged the question, _why him?_ All of that meant that as hard as it was to believe, he was _more likely_ to be telling the _truth_. “See this man to the hospital and then return to your patrol.”

The soldier saluted. “Sir.”

“Are you going to tell the King and Queen?” Casper asked.

“I'll have a word with Chancellor Softpaw first, if he's still in his office. But I _imagine_ he will advise me to inform the King and Queen. Why?”

“I've locked the gates so it can't get out. Should be safe to wait till the morrow if they've already turned in is all.”

“Ah. Good thinking. And perhaps it would be best if you leave the keys with me. If you give Skweeks your address, I can have it returned to you once the matter has been settled.” After he'd turned over the keys, Casper was led away by the guard and Captain Buck headed to Chancellor Softpaw's office. He was in luck that night; When he knocked on the door to the Chancellor's office, Tybal pulled open the door and blinked. “Captain Buck. I was just leaving. Is this… urgent?” Chancellor Tybal Softpaw was a sandy and orange grimalkin with dark brown ears and auburn hair.

“Sorry to disturb you, Chancellor. But I've just received a report of, well, I suppose you could say a monster attack in the cemetery.”

“The _cemetery?_” He repeated. “How unusual. I've never heard of monsters taking up residence in the cemetery before.”

“Nor have I. But from what Mr Tanner has described, it doesn't seem to be a monster per se – and he insists that it _isn't_… But if it _is_, it's one we've never seen before.”

“That is… troubling news. If it is not a monster, what else could it be?”

“Apparently? A corpse.”

“A _corpse?_” He repeated with equal amounts of disbelief and horror. “Good _gracious_. I assume you have reason to believe the man is telling the truth and that this isn't some manner of hoax?”

“He would have to be pretty dedicated if it _is_. The creature _bit_ him. Hard enough to draw blood. I saw the wound with my own eyes.”

Tybal frowned. “I see. I trust the King and Queen have yet to be informed of this development?”

“Yes, my lord.”

He pulled out his pocket watch and frowned at the time. “And what would you say your assessment of the urgency of the situation is, Captain?”

“The creature attacked Mr Tanner but immediately lost interest in him, so it doesn't seem to be all that aggressive. He also said that he locked the gates behind him, so it should be contained.”

“I see. Then I believe it should safe to wait until the morrow to inform the King and Queen.”

“Understood, my lord. I will do so first thing.”

“Very good. Then I will bid you a good night, Captain.”

“Good night, Chancellor.” 

* * *

The following morning, Captain Buck waited patiently for the King and Queen to arrive in the dining room. Their son, Prince Theodore entered first. Theodore was a white mouse with orange hair and was eight years of age. He ran over to Captain Buck and saluted. “Good morning, Captain!”

He smiled as he returned the salute. “Good morning, Your Highness.”

Theodore eagerly took a seat and hungrily eyed all the food that had been laid out, clearly wishing he could be eating it already. But he was a patient child and so he waited.

King Otto Mausinger and his wife, Queen Ratja stepped into the room arm in arm. They looked briefly surprised by Captain Buck's presence before smiling and greeting him pleasantly in unison. “Good morning, Captain.”

He bowed. “Good morning, Your Majesties.”

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Mausinger continued.

“Not pleasure, I'm afraid.” He briefly glanced at Theodore who was doing his best to look disinterested in the conversation.

Mausinger followed his gaze. “I see.” He gestured for them to step out of the room and closed the doors behind them. “What have you to report, Captain?”

“Yesterday evening, I received a report of an attack in the cemetery.”

He frowned and exchanged a look of concern with Ratja. “And what manner of attack was this, Captain Buck? A monster? _Bandits?”_

“A monster attack… more or less.”

He frowned. “I see.”

“I've never heard of monsters attacking people in the cemetery before,” said Ratja.

“Nor have I,” he agreed. “Though I suppose there is a first time for everything. What sort of monster was it, do you know?”

“If it _is_ a monster, Your Majesty, it's one we've never seen before. Otherwise, Tanner – he's the groundskeeper – he insists the thing that attacked him was, well… a corpse.”

“A _what?”_ Mausinger asked as Ratja repeated, “A _corpse?”_

“Yes,” he replied.”

“And you _believe_ him?”

“Well… I believe _something_ attacked him at least. I saw the wound with my own eyes.”

“Was it serious?” she asked.

“Serious yes, but not life threatening, or at least not _immediately_. It bit him hard enough to draw blood so I sent him to the hospital.”

“What happened exactly, Captain?” Mausinger asked.

“He was finishing up for the night and was en route to the toolshed to put his tools away when he heard something, a voice calling for someone called _Auria_. When he stopped to investigate, he spotted something approaching him and shone his lantern on it. Now, from his description of the thing it certainly _sounds_ like a corpse, but it _could_ be a brand new type of monster that happens to _look_ like one. Either way it attacked him, said something unintelligible and then _left_.”

Mausinger frowned. “I _see_…”

“If it really _is_ a corpse,” said Ratja. “Then… then that means…”

“It would appear that someone has found a way to bring the dead back to life.”

“Yes,” Captain Buck agreed. “This has some troubling implications, but I would use the term _'__life__'_ loosely. This thing seems to be very much still a corpse.”

“But if it's a monster, then…” She trailed off.

“Then it's one we've never seen before.”

“I cannot say which I find more troubling,” Mausinger commented.

“What are we going to do, Otto?” she asked.

“There is little else to do but to take some soldiers to the cemetery to investigate. I will see for myself whether or not this report is true, only then can I decide upon a course of action.”

“Should I come too?”

He squeezed her hand and smiled. “No, dear heart, I do not believe that will be necessary; One of us should be more than sufficient.”

“If it really _does_ turn out to be a corpse then… I wonder who it used to be.”

“I was wondering that myself. But we will cross that bridge when we get there. Captain Buck, since the creature attacked him at night, I suppose we should assume that this is when it is most active.”

“Yes, so would I,” he agreed.

“Then we will wait until nightfall. Assemble a team of your men in the entrance hall when the time comes. I will meet you there.”

“Understood.”

“You are dismissed, Captain Buck.”

He bowed. “Your Majesties.” And left.

Mausinger and Ratja exchanged looks. “I am not sure what to make of all this,” he confessed.

“No…” she agreed. “At least, not until we have a better idea of what's happening.”

“There is nothing more to be done but wait.” He pushed open the doors to the dining room. Theodore was sitting innocently in his chair exactly as they had left him. “Father?” He piped up after they had taken their seats at the dining table. “What was that about? Is something going on?”

“I am afraid that something has come up, Theodore. It would appear that a monster has taken up residence in the cemetery. So this evening, I will be taking Captain Buck and a team of soldiers there to investigate.”

“Can I come?”

“You're not old enough yet, Theo,” Ratja replied.

“Aww but-”

“Theodore,” Mausinger cut. “One day we will ask you to accompany us on occasions such this. But today is not that day. So until then, you must have _patience_.”

Theo sighed. “All right.”

He smiled. “Very good. Now, let us eat! You must be _starving_, Theodore.”

“Famished!”

“As am I.” They piled food onto their plates and began tucking in, and conversation turned to more pleasant subjects.

* * *

Captain Buck and a mixed team of mousekind and grimalkin soldiers were milling around in the entrance hall awaiting the arrival of their King. They stood to attention when he finally appeared with his wife and son in tow. “Are we all ready?” He asked, wasting no time.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Captain Buck replied.

“Excellent. We shall move out at once.”

“Come back safely, Otto,” said Ratja.

Mausinger smiled as he took her hands. “I plan to, my dear.” He kissed her and turned to their son. “Do not wait up for me, Theodore.”

“Aww but, _Father_-”

“Theodore.” He placed both hands on Theo's shoulders. “You are a growing boy and you need your rest. You will see me again tomorrow morning.”

“_Fine,”_ he sighed and hugged him. “Good night, Father.”

Mausinger smiled and ruffled his hair fondly. “Good night, Theodore.”

Theo pulled away to salute the soldiers. “Good luck, everyone.”

They saluted back and Captain Buck smiled. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Let us be off, Captain.” Mausinger Travelled them to the nearest tripdoor and strode ahead. They were quick to fall in behind him. The gates were locked – as Casper had left them – which _hopefully_ indicated that the creature was still inside. Captain Buck pulled out the keys and removed both lock and chain, depositing them to one side. As the gates swung open, everyone pulled out their lanterns. Mausinger swung his left and right but could see nothing in the immediate vicinity. He turned to the soldiers. “We will cover more ground by splitting up. Shout if you find something and do not attempt to engage the creature alone.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they chorused. They called forth their weapons and dispersed. Everyone except Captain Buck that is. Mausinger smiled. “Fear not, Captain. You will find that I can hold my own in a fight, should it come to that.”

“I don't doubt that, Your Majesty. But, uh… It _is_ my duty to protect you, after all. How could I ever face the Queen, _or_ the Prince if I let you come to harm?”

The hesitation and lack of conviction in the Captain's delivery prompted Mausinger to ask. “Is something amiss Captain?”

“Well uh… I… uh…” His shoulders slumped in resignation. “Yes… Your Majesty… There is… there's something I neglected to mention earlier.”

“Which is?”

“Tanner's description of the corpse.”

He frowned. “What about it?”

A sigh. “I was reluctant to tell you this. But… well. Now that we're here… Tanner's description. Mousekind. Male. Unusually short. Long, furry tail. Estimated to have died about ten years ago.” He gave Mausinger a pointed look. “Sound like someone we know?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Captain,” he replied too quickly to be convincing. “Now we had best be getting on. The cemetery will not search itself and we can do nothing if we do not find it.”

“Yes, of course… Your Majesty.” He picked a direction and headed off into the darkness. Mausinger could see the lanterns of the other soldiers moving about as they searched, so he called forth his sword and moved off in a direction where there were no other lights. Name upon name carved into headstone after headstone passed by in his peripheral vision, until he caught sight of a couple that stopped him dead in his tracks; The names of his own departed parents. In the dark he had not realised that he had come to this area of the cemetery. He checked their graves for signs of any recent disturbances but everything seemed to be in order, and he heaved a sigh of relief. If indeed the monster _was_ a resurrected corpse – _and_ _he wasn't saying it was – _then, it was neither of theirs. “At least _you_ are still safe, Mother. Father,” he said aloud.

“_Auuurr… eeee… uuhhhh?”_

Mausinger's fur bristled. The voice, if it could be called that, was like nothing he'd ever heard or could describe in words; It slithered into his ears like a worm burying into soil. He whipped round to face the direction it had come from and staggering towards him was a shape that _looked_ like a person but did not move like one. It was a disturbing sight and he was just about to alert the soldiers when it stepped into the circle of light radiating from his lantern. Mausinger froze as recognition crept upon him like a chill crawling up his spine and both sword and lantern slipped from his fingers. No… It was _impossible_… It _couldn't_ be… It _couldn't_ be _him!_ His eyes drank in every detail of the creature as it approached. Its clothes, though faded and tattered, were still unmistakably a red waistcoat over a blue tunic, and striped socks. Giant gaping holes yawned out of its face in place of eyes and a nose, and its ears had rotted away, along with its lips, permanently exposing its teeth in a ghastly grimace. But it still had recognisable hair and a moustache, though neither had seen a comb in a decade. And finally, its height; A good eight inches shorter than he was, which was about as short as he remembered.

“_Auuurr…__ eeee… uu__hhhh__?”_ It spoke again, its head lolling on its neck as if it had difficulty holding it upright. It came to a stop, now a mere arms length away and Mausinger found he could neither move nor speak. The creature reached out a near skeletal hand and took hold of his wrist. He did not resist when it raised the hand to its mouth. The subsequent explosion of pain from the creature sinking its teeth into the soft flesh finally snapped him out of his reverie. “OW!” He hollered and snatched his hand back when the creature had released it. He quickly retrieved his sword in order to defend himself but then it said something that he couldn't quite make out. And, just as it had with Casper Tanner, it turned – as if it had completely lost all interest in his existence – and staggered off into the night. Mausinger simply watched it go. Even if he had come back to his senses, he was truthfully still shaken by the encounter.

Captain Buck appeared at his elbow. “Your Majesty? Are you all right?”

He barely spared him a glance, unable to tear his eyes away from the section of darkness the creature had vanished into. “Yes… I… I am _fine_…”

Captain Buck followed his gaze but could see nothing. “Did you… did you _find_ it?”

“I am afraid… the report, he was… he was not mistaken, Captain… It… it really _is_… a _corpse_.”

“And? Was it who I thought it was?”

“I dare not say… until I am _certain_…”

* * *

Once Captain Buck noticed the blood dripping from Mausinger's hand, he insisted on taking him to the hospital to get the wound tended to. They cleaned it, dressed it and bandaged it and gave him instructions on how to take care of it. They even gave him a shot for something he immediately forgot. When asked if he had understood, Mausinger nodded absently. And as they made their way back to the castle, he seemed to be barely paying attention to his surroundings, as if his mind was on another plane of existence.

“Is His Majesty all right?” One of the soldiers asked.

Captain Buck placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

“I would… I would speak with my wife…” Was all he would say.

Ratja was waiting for them. She smiled in relief at their return… Until she noticed the vacant expression on her husband's face and the smiled faded. She picked up her dress and ran to him. “Otto?”

He snapped back to reality. _“Ratja.”_ He pulled her into a hug, seizing fistfuls of the back of her dress and buried his face in her hair.

She didn't ask him why, or what happened, all she said was. “I'm here, my love. I'm here. It's all right now.” To Captain Buck, she said. “Thank you, Captain. I can take it from here.”

He and the other soldiers bowed. “Your Majesty.” And then dispersed.

Ratja let him hold her until he pulled away and she cupped his face. “Are you all right, Otto?” He said nothing, so she asked. “What happened?”

“It was… it was _him_, Ratja… It was _him_. Or-or at least it… it _looked_ like him.”

“Who?”

Mausinger shut his eyes as he forced himself to speak the name. _“_Ver_mine.”_

Hearing that name again chilled her blood and she couldn't help the horrified frown that took hold of her features. “Are you… are you _sure?”_

“_No_, he replied. “There is only one way to _be_ sure.” Ratja's expression hardened; That meant a trip to his grave at the very least. “But-but it's dark… It will… it will have to wait… till the morrow.”

“Then we'll go tomorrow. Together. First thing.”

He gave a weak smile. “Thank you… Ratja.”

She smiled and kissed him. “Of course, my love.”

* * *

Mausinger slept fitfully that night and Ratja awoke the following morning to find him already awake, simply staring at the canopy of their four poster bed, lost in thought.

“What's the time?” She asked groggily.

“Early,” he replied without looking away.

“Couldn't sleep?” He shook his head. “Did you get any sleep at all?”

“Here and there.”

He was really bothered by this, she thought, not that she was all that surprised. She rolled over to look at the time. It was 7:05am which wasn't all that early by their standards; They usually got up around eight. She rolled back. “It's five past seven, Otto. And we're both awake. Do you… do you want to go the cemetery _now?_”

He finally pulled his gaze away from the canopy. “Yes,” he replied. “I… I _would_.”

She smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Then let's get moving.” 

* * *

Mausinger spoke very little on the journey there and they had definitely made a wise choice leaving so early in the morning; Very few people were out and about at this hour, and there weren't any visitors heading to the cemetery besides themselves. She was glad, because Mausinger was clearly in need of the seclusion that morning. They arrived at the gates which had been locked after last night's encounter and still were. He unlocked them with the keys provided by Captain Buck and swung them open, but hesitated. He had come here many times before but this was the first time his reason for visiting gave him pause. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ratja smiling at him. He managed to smile back, if weakly, and together they entered.

“We'll have to find out where he's buried first,” she said and he hummed his agreement.

In the early morning light, it didn't take them long to find the building where the burial records were kept and the keys provided by Casper also granted them access. They were alphabetised so Ratja thumbed through the V section until she came across 'Vermine, Vincent Ignatius'. “Otto I found him, but…” She turned to Mausinger with a confused frown. “He's the only with that name…”

He blinked in surprise before mirroring her frown, and stroked his goatee in contemplation. “Come to think of it… he never _did_ mention his parents… or any siblings…”

“No…” She agreed. “So what does this mean do you think?”

“I could only guess. It _is_ a curiosity but not one we came here to solve.”

“No… it isn't.” She read the grave ident and cross referenced it with one of the maps Tanner kept in the building. “All right, let's go.” They walked together in silence and he seemed calm at first but become increasingly more agitated the closer they got to the grave.

She squeezed his hand. “Are you all right, Otto?”

“I… ah…” He stopped. “Ratja, you must… you must think it silly of me-”

“No, Otto, I _don't_. He was your friend. You trusted him and he betrayed you. But then he _paid_ for that betrayal with his _life_, so you never got any closure for what happened. Now after all these years it's starting to come back, isn't it?”

“… Yes… It is… There are questions I would have asked of him had he lived. But since he took those answers with him to the grave, I coped instead by burying his memory; In all those years since his funeral I never once thought about him, nor did I ever think I would again… I am… _afraid_, Ratja, of what we will find…”

“I'm here for you, my love.”

He smiled. “I know you are, dear heart.”

They resumed walking and Ratja had to ask. “What will you do if it really _is_ him?”

“I do not _know_,” he wailed in reply. “The question consumed my thoughts _all night_ and I have _yet_ to find an _answer_.”

“It's all right, Otto, it's all right,” she soothed. “We'll take this one step at a time. Let's find out if it _is_ him first before we think about what to do _next_.”

They finally arrived at Vermine's grave and Mausinger's grip on her hand tightened painfully as they both stared at the grave in mounting horror. There before the headstone was a recession in the soil. And around this recession were scratch marks, as if something had clawed its way out…

“Oh gods, Ratja, it's _him_. It's… it's _really_ _him_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Okay so… in my defence… Aurelius started out as a joke… But once you fall down the rabbit hole of wondering who his mother would be, at that point you have to stop, look back and realise: Oh shit, this is real, this is happening. This isn't a joke anymore and you've lost control.**


	3. Chapter 2: An Old and Forbidden Spell

Ratja and Mausinger had retreated to his study. She watched her husband pace up and down before the window that looked out onto the castle grounds. An untouched plate of food sat ignored on his desk. “Otto, you need to _eat_.”

“I am not hungry.”

She rose and caught him as he paced towards her. “Otto…”

“Ratja, I cannot _possibly_ think of food at a time like this.”

“You can't think on an empty stomach…”

His stomach chose that moment to growl in agreement and he hung his head and sighed. “I suppose you are right.” He sat down at the desk, pulled the plate towards him and began tucking in. Once he had finished, he pushed the plate away then leant back in his chair and massaged his forehead with one head. “Ratja, I do not even know where to _begin_.”

Ratja took his other hand in both of hers. “Let's start by reviewing the facts. What do we know so far?”

“But we know so _little_.”

“Then let's start with what we _do_ know.”

“Well?” He adjusted his sitting posture in order to think better. “Let us see… We know that Vermine has been brought back to life in so many words, though we do not know how or _why_. And from our limited number of encounters it would seem that he is active only at night.”

“We certainly didn't see him wandering around when we visited this morning.”

“No,” Mausinger agreed with a frown. “We did not. I wonder where he went…”

“Back into his grave?”

He hummed in reply. “Well wherever he disappeared to, perhaps this suggests that he has an aversion to sunlight. One that can be used against him. That is assuming that he can even be _killed_…”

“Let's hope so… What else do we know?”

“Only Mr Tanner and I have been attacked and neither of us were grievously injured. But on both accounts this was _not_ because he lacked the opportunity but rather the _will_.”

“What do you mean?”

“He… he did not _recognise_ me, Ratja. It was as if I was a complete _stranger_. Immediately after he bit my hand, he lost all interest in me and simply… _walked_ away.”

“Why did he attack you do you think? And why Mr Tanner as well?”

He shut his eyes and reluctantly thought back to the previous night. “He was…” He sat up, eyes going wide. “Ratja! I think… I think he may be _searching_ for someone.”

She blinked. “Who?”

He frowned hard as he mumbled. “… Auria…”

“Auria?” She repeated. “I don't think I remember anyone by that name in association with him… I wonder who she could be.”

“The one who brought him back to life perhaps? He was hardly in a position to do that _himself_.”

“Well whoever this Auria person is, I wonder why they chose _him_.”

“A question I ask myself… although…”

“… What?”

“Well. I can think of someone who _would_ chose him, but… His name is _Aurelius_, not Auria… unless…”

Ratja's eyes widened. “You think _Aurelius_ is the one he's looking for?”

“He was barely intelligible, but I suppose after being dead for ten years that is understandable. Rather I would say it is a wonder he can speak at _all_. Perhaps “Auria” is simply his best pronunciation of Aurelius' name?”

“I know Aurelius has the gift of magic, but he can't be more than _eighteen_, Otto. Do you _really_ think him capable of doing this? Of bringing the dead back to life?”

Mausinger frowned and hummed. “I have neither heard from nor seen him since he and his mother left the castle. So I suppose it _is_ possible that he may have become strong enough to cast such a spell since then.”

“But you don't know for sure, do you?”

“No,” he agreed. “I do not.”

“I do agree he seems the likely candidate, but I don't think we should rule out any other possibilities just yet. Just because he's _looking_ for Aurelius that doesn't _mean_ Aurelius is the one responsible.”

“I suppose you are right. Still I wonder why he does not appear to be searching for Annabelle as well if that is the case; I did not hear him utter anything that sounded like her name. Only Aurelius'.”

It was Ratja's turn to frown and hum. “That _is_ a little odd. But supposing it's _not_ Aurelius, do you think it possible that this person has brought _other_ people back to life? Or has plans to?”

“My men and I scoured the cemetery and found only Vermine. But as for the possibility that _more_ may appear in future, while I cannot reject the idea out of hand, as of yet none _have_. And if Aurelius _is_ the one responsible, this would then account for _why_.”

“Yes… it would. Still I wonder if anyone else has been having similar problems.”

“I have yet to receive any communication on the subject if that is so.”

“We should tell them about what's happening here.”

“And I plan to.”

She squeezed his hand. “Are you all right now, Otto? You seem calmer now.”

He smiled. “Yes, I am. Thank you. I did not realise that I would become so… troubled by the revelation. So I am glad that you were there with me.”

“Always, my love.”

He placed a hand on top of hers. “Whatever would I do without you, dear heart?” As soon as he had said that, someone knocked on the door and their expressions became one of puzzlement. “Come in?”

Theodore poked his head in. “Mother! Father! _There_ you are.” He entered the room and zoomed around the desk, straight into Ratja's arms.

She planted a kiss on his cheek and he giggled. “Hello, Theo.”

“You didn't come to breakfast!”

“Our apologies, Theodore but… something came up.”

“Did you get rid of that monster in the cemetery, Father? What was it? Tell me, tell me!”

Mausinger smiled briefly at his exuberance before replying. “Unfortunately not… The situation appears to be more complicated than I first thought.”

“Does that mean you won't be able to give me a swordfighting lesson today?”

“… I am afraid so.”

Theodore “Awww”d in disappointment and hung his head. In doing so, this was when he noticed the bandage on Mausinger's hand. “Father! Your hand…”

He glanced at it briefly. “Oh, this? This is nothing, Theodore. Nothing for you to worry about at least.”

“Did the monster do that?”

“Yes. I was… a little careless. But worry not, my son. This is the extent of my injuries, I assure you.”

Theo's face was screwed up in concern regardless. “Does it… does it hurt at all?”

“A little perhaps.”

“Would you like a Hug of Strength to make you feel better?”

Mausinger smiled broadly. “I would, Theodore. Very much.” He leant forward, allowing Theo to wrap his arms around his neck and hug him tightly as he reciprocated. When he pulled away, Mausinger smiled. “Thank you, Theodore. My hand feels better already.” Theo beamed. “Now regarding the matter of your swordfighting, why not ask Tybal to give you a lesson in my stead?”

“Okay!”

Ratja stood and took his hand. “Let's go find him together, Theo.” To her husband she said, “I'll find Captain Buck and bring him up to date.”

“Very good. Then I will take the opportunity to inform the others.” As they left his study he pulled out his CeeDlink.

**Otto Mausinger**

A troubling incident has been brought to light.

It seems that an unknown individual has found a way to bring the dead back to life.

However I use the term 'life' generously.

Upon accounting the, shall we say, Undead, I can confirm that they are very much little more than a walking corpse.

They do not seem to posses their individuality and are roughly comparable to a skeleplasm.

**Zip Vector**

Well that's horrifying.

Has anyone been hurt by this thing?

**Otto Mausinger**

There have been two attacks, but no fatalities.

Fortunately the Undead does not appear to very aggressive so there have been no grievous injuries either.

**Pugnacious**

That is good to hear!

Do you know if any other individuals have been, how should I say?

Risen?

I cannot say that there has been any such incidents in Goldpaw.

At least none of which I am aware.

**Otto Mausinger**

It seems to be restricted to the one person.

**Nerea Aristides**

That is interesting.

So it does not appear to be spreading.

**Otto Mausinger**

No.

Or at least not yet.

**Nerea Aristides**

Our dead are buried at sea, so I can safely say that no such incidents have occurred here, nor are they likely to.

**Zip Vector**

I've not heard anything in Broadleaf but I should probably look into it before dismissing the idea out of hand.

**Doloran**

I have no news of such incidents in New Allegoria.

**Evan Tildrum**

Nor here in Evermore.

Do you know who this person is by any chance?

The Undead one that is.

**Otto Mausinger**

I was hoping no one would ask me that

Because unfortunately I do.

**Evan Tildrum**

Who is it?

**Otto Mausinger**

It is

well

It is Vermine.

**Evan Tildrum**

What?!

Really??

**Otto Mausinger**

I am afraid so.

Though I am not completely certain if this is significant, or a coincidence.

This would depend on the one responsible.

**Doloran**

Are you quite certain that is is him, Mausinger?

**Otto Mausinger**

I would not have said so otherwise.

**Pugnacious**

Who is this Vermine?

I do not recall you mentioning his name before.

**Doloran**

Perhaps I should explain?

**Otto Mausinger**

He was my chancellor after the coup.

I trusted him which was why I believed everything he told me.

But all he told me were lies.

As it turned out, he was working with Doloran all along, back when Doloran was seeking to resurrect the Horned One.

**Doloran**

A time I do not recall fondly.

**Nerea Aristides**

But why?

**Doloran**

In exchange for the promise of power, he helped me steal Mausinger's kingsbond.

And for his efforts I rewarded him with

well

Death.

**Zip Vector**

Wait, was he corrupted by any chance?

Because you're making this sound like he was acting on his own volition.

**Doloran**

Yes.

He was.

But his thirst for power was already considerable by the time we met.

Consequently, he fell to my corruption very easily.

**Zip Vector**

Oh.

I see.

It's no wonder you never talk about him, Otto.

**Doloran**

Mausinger, where are you currently?

**Otto Mausinger**

In my study.

Why?

**Doloran**

I am coming over.

**Otto Mausinger**

That is very kind of you to offer, Doloran. But there really is no need for you to

Nevermind he is here.

I will keep you all informed of any developments.

“Mausinger.”

“Doloran.”

“I did not wish to mention this to the others until I was certain, but I believe I _may_ know how Vermine has been returned to life. Or at least in so many words.”

Mausinger looked most surprised. “What?! _Truly??”_

“Yes, I believe so.”

“Then _how?_ _Tell_ me.”

“Could you describe these attacks first? What exactly do they entail?”

“I encountered him myself but truly there is very little to say. My men and I were searching the cemetery and by chance I happened upon him. He approached me, _bit_ me and then he just… _left_… As he did with the other individual he attacked. Curiously, he did not seem to recognise me at all.”

“He _bit_ you?”

“Yes. Hard enough to draw blood.”

“So he _tasted_ your blood? And _this_ is when he lost interest in you?”

“Well… yes… I suppose he did. Why? Is that important?”

“Then it is as I feared. Vermine has been revived with a Blood Revival spell.”

Mausinger frowned as he repeated, “A Blood Revival spell? I have never _heard_ of such a thing.”

“I am not surprised. It is a very old and by its nature, a very _forbidden_ spell. One that is cast with an incantation rather than a rune.”

“How curious.”

“Indeed. With their blood, the caster can bring another to back to life.”

“I can understand why this is forbidden, still I wonder why it is not attempted more often.”

“It can only be initiated by a direct relation, one that - needless to say - must be able to use magic.”

“A direct relation? So by that you mean…”

“A parent, a sibling, or a child.”

“I _see_,” Mausinger sighed. “Then you have confirmed my suspicions, Doloran. He has been brought back to life by his son, Aurelius.”

“His _son?”_ Doloran replied awkwardly. “I… did not know he had a son.”

“Would it have changed anything if you _had _known?_”_

“I…” He dropped his gaze. “I suppose not… How old was he?”

“About seven or eight.”

“So he would be seventeen or eighteen now.”

“Which would explain the delay.”

“But not how he came upon the spell in the first place.”

“Then it seems that we will have to _find_ the boy and _ask_ him. But speaking of the spell, Vermine does not seem to be much of a threat now, but will this change? Is there a time limit on this revival spell and if so, will he become more aggressive as it draws near?”

“Truthfully there is much about the spell that I do not know, but I do not _believe_ so. It will remain in effect until the blood price is paid or will possibly end if the son should die before then. In the meantime, Vermine will keep searching. From your account it would seem that he can sense someone's presence to a limited degree but must identify them by the taste of their blood, hence the reason for the attacks. Beyond that, he is a threat to no-one, save for one individual.”

“Aurelius.”

“Indeed. The blood price must be paid by the one who initiated the spell, and it is _his_ blood that he hungers for.”

“And exactly _how_ much blood will satisfy this blood price?”

“The blood price must be paid in full. It is essentially the exchange of one life for another.”

Mausinger frowned deeply. “So you mean to say that when Vermine finds Aurelius, he is going to drain _every last drop_ of blood from his body?”

“Yes.”

“But surely not even _he_ would seek to bring harm upon his _own son?”_

“You must not think of him as being Vermine. At least not _yet_. Until the Blood Revival spell is complete, he exists in a state between life and death and is _compelled_ to see it through. Furthermore, while in this state he cannot be killed.”

“That is… unfortunate…”

“… Yes…”

“And the only way to end the spell is either through it's completion, or if Aurelius should _die?”_

“I'm afraid so. Or at least, I _believe_ so.”

“That does _not_ leave me with a lot of options.”

“No… So… what do you plan to do?”

“Well? … What did _you_ do, Doloran? I am not wrong in assuming that you have faced such a situation yourself, am I?”

“You are not. Unfortunately the tale does not have a happy end. A couple in my kingdom of Old Allegoria lost their only child. The child's father was a mage; He found the spell in one of the tomes of the palace library – or at least so he claimed – and cast the spell. The child was reanimated, but sought his father's blood. When it became clear that the child could not be reasoned with, they fled in search of aid. The child pursued and – as I have already told you – could not be killed, but _could_ be restrained. Unfortunately the only information on the spell was what could be garnered from the spell's instructions, that being who can cast it, as well as _how_. In light of the realisation that the child was to be doomed to this incomplete existence unless _something_ was done, the father elected to sacrifice his own life in order for the blood price to be fulfilled, and the child restored. So I am afraid that I have no advice to give you, Mausinger.”

“I… _see_… So I am on my own, in a manner of speaking.”

“I am afraid so.”

Mausinger folded his arms and frowned deeply in contemplation. “The gates to the cemetery are currently being kept locked in order keep Vermine contained,” he said at length. “I should make an announcement to my subjects warning them away until the matter is resolved. As for _Aurelius, _I hope to _find _him in order to make him aware of the depths of his _foolishness,_ as well as determine how he came upon the spell in the _first_ place so that this incident will not _repeat_ itself.”

“And what about Vermine?”

Mausinger sighed. “The simplest solution is to confine him to the dungeons. And there he will have to stay until Aurelius eventually dies.”

“Hmmm… It is hardly the _ideal_ solution.”

“Well what would you suggest I do? _Kill_ Aurelius?”

Doloran had a contemplative expression on his face as he answered, “Perhaps you _should_.”

“Wh-what? Surely you _jest_, Doloran. Whatever my feelings towards his father are, I hold no ill will against Aurelius himself. And while I may have wished harm upon Evan all those years ago, those days are _long_ behind me.”

“As are mine, Mausinger. What I mean to say is, perhaps we should _induce_ death and then revive him once the spell is broken.”

Mausinger blinked. “Oh!… I _see_.” He stroked his goatee as he pondered. “It will not be without its risks.”

“At the very least it appears to be the _only_ way to deal with the problem conclusively.”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I suppose you are right… Now, I must speak with Ratja and Captain Buck.”

* * *

He found Ratja and Captain Buck in conversation in the officer's mess hall. “Ah, excellent. You are both together.”

She was surprised to find Doloran following behind but smiled and said, “Doloran. It's nice to see you again.”

He smiled back. “Thank you, Queen Mausinger. You are too kind.”

“Doloran has brought us information that has shed some much needed light on the situation. It would appear that Vermine has been revived using a Blood Revival spell.”

Ratja and Captain Buck exchanged looks. “Can't say I've ever heard of such a thing before,” he commented. “But it sounds… _sinister_.”

“Indeed,” Mausinger agreed before turning to Doloran. “Perhaps you should explain, Doloran, considering you were the one who brought me this information in the first place?”

“Very well. The Blood Revival spell is one that allows the caster to bring the dead back to life but at a _cost_. The spell demands that a blood price be paid and it must be paid in _full_. It is therefore in essence, the exchanging of one life for another. Furthermore, it can _only_ be initiated by a direct relation. In other words, a parent, a sibling, or a child.”

Ratja looked about as horrified as she probably felt. “So it _is_ Aurelius. But _w__hy_ would he use such a method to bring his father back?”

“I do not believe he is aware of the spell's full requirements, or else in all likelihood he would not have cast it.”

“And since he is unaware of the danger he is in, it is _imperative_ that we are the ones to find him _first,” _added Mausinger. “To this end I plan to make an announcement to our subjects explaining that a monster has taken up residence in the cemetery which will be kept closed until the situation can be resolved. This will _hopefully_ keep Aurelius away until he can be _located_.”

“I'm guessing simply killing Vermine isn't an option then?”

“You guess correctly, Captain. While the blood spell remains in effect he exists in a state between life and death and subsequently cannot be killed.”

“I see, so he'll have to be contained until the spell ends.”

“Correct. Unfortunately the spell will _remain_ in effect until _either_ the blood price is paid _or_ if Aurelius should die before then. There is no other way.”

“That is… unfortunate.”

“Is there no reasoning with him?” Ratja asked.

“I am afraid not,” Doloran replied. “Until the spell is complete he is not truly himself. If anything he is little more than a slave to the compulsion to see it through.”

“That's _awful_.”

“If it is any consolation I do not believe he is _aware_ of what he is doing.”

Ratja frowned. “I can't decide if I find that comforting or not. But that still leaves us with finding Aurelius before _he_ does. He won't be Vermine any more, Otto. If _I_ had been in Annabelle's shoes, I would've changed _both_ our names as soon as I could.”

“Yes…” Mausinger agreed. “To her maiden name, I would assume. Alas I do not know what that is. But all is not lost. We know roughly when Aurelius was born – as well as his given name – and Vermine will be still listed as the father on his birth record.”

“That is still approximately _two years_ worth of records to search through,” said Doloran. “That will take time.”

“Which is _precisely_ why we should begin as soon as possible. I will dedicate all available hands to this task.”

“Very well, I will help you.”

“Doloran, you have done more than enough already-”

“No, Mausinger. I have not. Whether or not Vermine deserved such an end is beside the point. The boy lost his father. And you know as well as I, that nothing I can do will _ever_ make amends for _that_.”

“No, I…” Mausinger swallowed and dropped his gaze. “…I suppose not…”

Ratja squeezed both their hands and smiled at them gently. When they both smiled back she said. “Come on. We've got work to do.”

* * *

By the time word of the announcement had spread and the citizens of Ding Dong Dell had gathered in the King's Pond, it was now well into the morning. Mausinger looked out over the crowd. They conversed amongst themselves while they waited and the children played together in groups here and there. He smiled as he watched them play, until he remembered the fact that Theodore, by virtue of being royalty, did not have the luxury of playmates and the smile faded. He sighed to himself. This wasn't the time to be thinking about such things. Then Ratja's hand on his shoulder drew him out of his musings.

“What are you thinking about?”

“It is silly of me, perhaps, but… You see those children down there?”

She followed his gaze and smiled “I do.” Then turned back to him with a puzzled expression. “What about them?”

“I could not help but be reminded of the fact that, that Theodore… our son… He will not have much in the way of children his own age for company…” Ratja's expression became pained and she looked away to where the children were playing. “It is not the time for this, I know, but…” He sighed. “Such is the way of royalty after all.”

She squeezed his hand. “Let's… let's talk about this… But later.”

“Yes. Of course.” He looked out over the crowd again. “Ratja, I do not suppose you…?”

She blinked. Then her eyes widened. “… Gosh, it's been so _long, _Otto_. _I don't know if I'd _recognise_ her. And goodness knows how much _Aurelius_ will have changed.” But she scanned the crowd again regardless. “There are so many people. And we're too far away. I don't think I could spot Annabelle at this distance even if I _did_ recognise her.”

“No,” he sighed. “Nor could I… It was a long shot I admit. But it _would_ have been most convenient.”

“Nevermind, Otto. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way.”

“Indeed. And I believe our subjects have waited long enough.” She let go of his hand and stepped back. Mausinger took a deep breath and began. “Citizens of Ding Dong Dell.” The low murmur of conversation died away leaving him free to continue speaking. “It has come to our attention that a monster of unknown origin has recently taken up residence within the cemetery.” Alarmed whispering rose up from the assembled crowd. “Now, you have my assurances that the situation is well in hand and that Ding Dong Dell is in no immediate or _imminent_ danger. But until such time as the matter can be resolved, the cemetery is currently off limits and will remain closed to the public for the foreseeable future. That will be all.” As the crowd dispersed, he marched back into the castle with the others in tow, and turned to Captain Buck upon arriving in the throne room. “Captain, I do not imagine that anyone will make plans to visit the cemetery after hearing _that_ announcement, and with the gates locked this will prevent everyone – barring those who can cast Spring Lock – from entering. But still. I would have you station some guards at the pathway that leads up to the cemetery in case anyone should _try_.”

“At once, Your Majesty.”

“There _should_ only be one individual who _would_,” said Doloran.

“Yes… You are right. In which case, instruct the guards to be on the look out for a mousekind boy around the age of seventeen and by the name of Aurelius, attempting to visit the cemetery. He is to be brought to me _directly_.”

“Shouldn't we wait for him to come to _us_ then, Your Majesty? Rather than go looking for _him?”_

Mausinger frowned and folded his arms. “I do not believe we should _rely_ on him taking this course of action, and certainly not _immediately_. Nor can we simply do _nothing_. Either _he_ will come to _us_, or _we_ will be the ones to find him _first_. The search through our nation's birth records will proceed as planned.”

“Understood. But what should I tell my men?”

He hummed as he stroked his goatee. “The full extent of the situation will be restricted to the four of us, and Tybal who I plan to bring into the fold. Beyond that, instruct your men that we wish to bring the boy in for _questioning,_ but do not say _why_.”

“It will be done, Your Majesty.”

* * *

“Aurelius?” Annabelle called up the stairs. “It's almost time for King Mausinger's announcement. We should be leaving.” Movement from upstairs, then Aurelius descended the staircase. He came to halt on the final step and shoved his hands in his pockets. Ever since yesterday morning's conversation, he had become sullen and withdrawn. Annabelle couldn't say that she blamed him, or that she was all that surprised. She smiled anyway. “Are you coming?”

He didn't answer immediately. “… Sure…”

“Get your shoes and cloak on then, and let's go.” She pulled on her own shoes and shawl and waited at the door for him. She watched him stare at the painting for a moment and she sighed as she felt her heart sink. When he joined her at the door, she put her arm around him and they both stepped out.

A sizeable crowd had already gathered by the time they arrived at the King's Pond. Annabelle was surprised to find the King and Queen already waiting on the terrace. And they were not alone. In attendance were some soldiers and – she sucked in a breath at the sight of him – _Doloran_. Gods, the sight of him made her so _angry_ even after all this time. She wanted to tear up to the terrace and _deck_ him. Not only had he ripped away her beloved husband, but any form of closure she could've had over why Vermine had _lied_ to her about what he was really planning had gone with him. Her attention snapped back to her son. He had grabbed her hand and was staring intently at the terrace, face contorting in rage. “Mother… Mother, it's him… It's _him_…”

She looked from Aurelius to Doloran and back as she decided upon a course of action. Then she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around, forcefully enough that he turned to her with a mixture of confusion and surprise, his anger dissipating. “Mother?”

“We're going home, Aurelius.”

“But…” He blinked and looked to the terrace and back. “But what about the announcement?”

“Nevermind that. I can't stand to see the sight of that wretched man any longer.”

“O… okay…” She marched away and he followed. “Mother wait.”

Annabelle stopped and turned to face him. “Yes, sweetie? What is it?”

“What… what did he do?” Off her puzzled look, he clarified. “I mean, Doloran. What did… what did Doloran do to Father?”

“When a person dies, their soul leaves their body and moves on to… well I'm not sure. But… I'm told that's what Doloran did to him… He forced his soul to leave his body and severed the link that connected them so that he would never find his way back. Once that became clear, King Mausinger decided to…” She swallowed. “To give him a merciful end.”

Aurelius looked appalled. “So he was… _banished?”_

“… Or moved on, yes.”

“_That's_ why it failed,” he muttered to himself. “It was _always_ going to fail.”

A puzzled frown. “What was going to fail, sweetie?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled, Then he added, “It doesn't matter,” sounding so utterly dejected that she didn't believe him for a moment.

She was about to speak, to press him further, when Mausinger chose that moment to finally begin his announcement. “Citizens of Ding Dong Dell.” Annabelle turned away from Aurelius as he continued, “It has come to our attention that a monster of unknown origin has recently taken up residence within the cemetery.” Aurelius froze. Impossible. It _couldn't_ be… could it?

“A monster in the cemetery?” Annabelle repeated. “What _is_ the world coming to?”

“Now, you have my assurances that the situation is well in hand and that Ding Dong Dell is in no immediate or imminent danger. But until such time as the matter can be resolved, the cemetery is currently off limits and will remain closed to the public for the foreseeable future. That will be all.”

As the King and Queen left and the crowd dispersed, Annabelle turned back to her son. “It's a good thing we visited your father's grave when we did then,” she commented. “Or who _knows_ how long we would've had to wait.”

“Mmm…” he replied absently.

“… Is everything all right?”

Aurelius frowned. “He didn't say what the monster was. Or if… or if anyone's been hurt, or… or _killed.”_

She blinked. “You're right. He didn't.”

“And why is _Doloran_ here.”

It was Annabelle's turn to frown. “I wonder that myself.” She looked away to the castle and then back at Aurelius. “Let's not worry about it,” she declared. “If King Mausinger says the situation is well in hand, then I'll believe him. Besides, I don't think there's anything that could stand up to the power of _Oakenhart_, should it come to _that_.”

“I suppose not…” Of course _that_ wasn't what was troubling him.

“And as for _Doloran_. We'll just pretend he's not here.”

He managed a smile at that, as small and brief as it was. “Okay…”

“Come on, Aurelius. Let's go home.” As she lead him away, he glanced back in the direction of the cemetery. 

* * *

Later that evening, Aurelius put his fork down and pushed his plate away. “Mother, I think… I think I'm going to go to bed now.”

Annabelle looked up from her dinner. “What? Already? You usually stay up later than this.”

“I know, but. It's been, well… a _stressful_ weekend. And… I've got school tomorrow.”

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “It has hasn't it, you poor thing. First your hand, then learning the truth about your father, then _Doloran_ showing up in Ding Dong Dell of all places. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably feel the same way.” She let go of his hand. “All right, sweetie, get some rest.”

He rose and planted a kiss her on the cheek. “Good night, Mother.”

She smiled. “Good night, Aurelius.”

As he passed by the coat stand in the hallway, he removed his cloak, took the household lantern off it's stand and brought both upstairs with him to his room. He shut the door, his heart now pounding. Ever since King Mausinger's announcement, his thoughts had been consumed by _one thing;_ He _had_ to get to the cemetery. He had his cloak and lantern, now all that was left was his wand. He removed it from its casing and held it in his hands, and frowned. Annabelle had said that his father's soul had been _banished_. So was it _really him?_ But then, who _else_ could it be? But then _why_ had his father not come _home?_ Had he _forgotten_ where home _was?_ And if the monster in the cemetery and his father were one and the same then… what did that _mean?_ Was his father _attacking_ people? And if so _why?_ He had so many questions that could only be answered by finding the man, and asking him. So he pulled on his cloak, picked up the lantern, readied his wand and Travelled out of his room. He rematerialised in the Cat's Cradle tripdoor and glanced around. It was well into nightfall and so the street lamps were already lit. He tucked his wand away up his sleeve and pulled up the hood of his cloak before heading off. 

* * *

Aurelius was surprised to find two guards – one mousekind the other a grimalkin – posted at the entrance to the cobbled pathway leading up to the cemetery and stopped in his tracks. Well _this_ was an unfortunate complication. Before he could even begin to formulate a plan of action, the grimalkin soldier spotted him. “You there! What are you doing here? The cemetery is off limits.”

“Ah… My apologies… I am afraid I didn't get the message.”

The guard squinted at him. “Wait a second… You're mousekind aren't you? And you can't be much older than eighteen either by the sound of you. Is your name Aurelius by any chance?”

“Yes, how… how did you know?”

“King Mausinger is looking for you.”

Aurelius was surprised at that. “The _King?_ He's looking for _me?”_ He had thought that Mausinger would've long forgotten him, but apparently not.

“He is. He has questions. Apparently ones that only _you_ can answer.”

“I see. Well I'm afraid that _I_ have questions that must be answered _too_. So _if_ you'd be so kind as to stand aside…”

“That's not going to happen,” said the mouse guard. “For your own protection, we _cannot_ allow you into the cemetery, and we have been given instructions to take you to the King. So if you would _please_ come with us.”

Aurelius drew his wand. “I'm not going _anywhere_ with either of _you_. Now let me _pass_.”

“Put the wand away, boy. This doesn't have to turn into a fight.”

“Oh believe me, I don't want to fight you either, but I _will_ if you leave me choice.”

“Why _exactly_ is it _so important_ that you should gain entrance to the cemetery, if I may ask? What do you think you'll find there?”

“I cannot tell you. But you _must_ let me pass.”

“And we cannot do that.”

The grimalkin guard sighed. “This isn't going end in any other way than a fight, is it?”

Aurelius looked from one to the other. “It would appear not…” He agreed.

The guards readied their weapons and Aurelius readied his wand. “Then we apologise in advance for any injuries that you may sustain,” said the mouse.

“As do I.” 

* * *

Aurelius trudged wearily to the gates. He had triumphed in the end by taking them off guard with his teleportation but had burned through nearly all of his magic to do so. But he had enough to unlock the gates to the cemetery with Spring Lock once again. Lock and chain fell to the ground with a rattle and a _clunk_ and he pushed open the gates and nervously looked around. “Father, are you here?” He swung his lantern back and forth but could see no one in the immediate vicinity. He could be _anywhere_. Perhaps the best place to begin his search was at his grave? Aurelius raised his lantern and was about to head further in when a thought stopped him. What if it _wasn't_ his father? What if it really _was_ a monster? But he dismissed those thoughts with the shake of his head; The fact that the monster had appeared mere days after performing the Blood Revival spell _and_ in the cemetery of all places was too much of a coincidence. And why _else_ would King Mausinger be looking specifically for _him? _Whatever the case he _had_ to know. Aurelius gripped his lantern, steeled his resolve and started walking. He kept his eyes peeled for any signs of life, be it mousekind or monster, and his ears alert. The cemetery was deathly quiet, amplifying his footsteps and the only other source of light was the moon shining down from the sky above.

It took him far longer than he cared to admit to realise there was someone or some_thing_ standing before his father's grave, simply staring at the headstone. Could it be? Was it really him? Aurelius' heart began to beat faster with each step he took as his anticipation rose. It certainly looked like it _could_ be him, but as he drew nearer he began to realise that… that something wasn't _right_, and anticipation began to give way to something else. “Father?” he ventured. “Is that… is that you?” He did not receive a response until he reached out and laid a hand on the man's shoulder. Vermine's head pivoted on his neck with a creaking noise, far beyond the normal limit and Aurelius had to stifle a scream. He looked exactly the way he had when Aurelius beheld him in his coffin, tattered clothes and all, only now he was considerably more animated. “Father, it really _is_ you. But… but why are you still _like_ this?” He asked, voice trembling. “I thought… I thought I paid the blood price… I mean… It never really said how much I had to offer, but…”

Vermine's jaw hung open and a voice slithered out. _“Auuurr….eeeee…..u_ _hhhh_ _?”_

“Yes, yes it’s me, _Aurelius_. Your _son_.” Vermine turned and took a lurching step towards him. “I know I don't look the way you remember me but that's because I'm _older_ now. It's been… it's been _ten years_…” Vermine made no comment, instead he reached out a withered hand and took his wrist. “Father…?” Oblivious of what was to come, Aurelius did not resist when he raised the hand to his mouth and bit him, incisors easily piercing through the soft flesh. “OW!” Aurelius yelped and snatched his hand away when Vermine had released it, and clutched it to his chest. “Father! What was _that_ for?!” It was his injured hand as well.

Vermine uttered something that sounded very much like _“I… found you…”_ and then, _“I need… more…”_

“More?” Aurelius repeated. He glanced at his bleeding hand. More blood? “How… how much more?” Vermine stepped closer and Aurelius edged back, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. “Father, how… how _much_ more?”


	4. Chapter 3: A Conversation

Annabelle dried her hands after finishing the washing and drying up and glanced up at the ceiling. Poor Aurelius, she thought. After the weekend he'd had, she probably shouldn't be surprised that it had taken its toll. Just as she probably shouldn't be surprised that it made her worry about him. After all he was her only son, and after the deaths of her husband and parents was the only family she had left. She hung up the towel and decided to head upstairs to go check on him. She knocked on the door. “Aurelius? Are you awake?” No answer, so she knocked again. “Aurelius?” Still no answer. She opened the door slowly and quietly and stopped when it was wide enough for her to poke her head in. Her eyes widened in alarm when she was greeted with not only an empty bed but also an empty room. “Aurelius?” Her mind instantly snapped back to earlier that day.

“That's_ why it failed. It was _always_ going to fail. He didn't say what the monster was. Or if… or if anyone's been hurt, or… or _killed_.”_

It had not escaped her notice that he been distracted ever since the announcement, but she had thought it had been because of Doloran. Annabelle threw the door open, rushed to the desk and hauled out the top drawer. His wand was gone. And when she ran down the stairs to check, so was his cloak and the household lantern. She reached out and touched the wall for support as panic threatened to overwhelm her. Oh gods, what was he _thinking?!_ She stumbled through the front door in a daze. And what was she supposed to _do?!_ As she turned in place with tears blurring her vision, she caught sight of the castle and stopped. And panic gave way to clarity. Annabelle dashed back inside to grab her keys and tore out of the house without bothering to collect her shawl or bonnet. As she ran to the castle as fast as her legs would allow, she cursed the unfairness of the fact that her son was able to use magic while _she_ wasn't. And _who_ had he even _got_ that from anyway?! Vermine hadn't been able to use magic either and although the ability wasn't strictly hereditary it _did_ have a tendency towards running in a family.

At last the gates to Ding Dong Dell Castle came into view, but the two soldiers usually stationed there on guard duty were absent. Curse her luck, they must be changing the guard! She kept running, up the pathway to the castle itself and through the castle's giant wooden doors. And straight into the two soldiers who were on their way out.

“Gods above!” The humanfolk soldier exclaimed.

“Ma'am? Is… is everything all right?” Asked the mouse.

“You _must_… you _must_…” She panted. “_Help_ me…”

“Catch your breath first.” So she did. “What seems to be the problem?”

“It's my son, he's… he's gone to the cemetery. He's in danger, you have to help him!”

“How old is he?”

“Seventeen.”

“And his name?”

“Aurelius.” She frowned. “Why?”

“King Mausinger wishes to speak with him.”

“He _what?”_ That told her that Aurelius had somehow managed to draw the attention of the _King_. Gods, what had he _done?!_

“And how long has it been since he left?”

“I don't _know_,” she wailed. “He said... he said he was going to bed right after he'd finished dinner. So if he left immediately after, then… that was nearly half an hour ago.”

They hmmmm'd in unison. “Captain Buck stationed Pawson and Whiskers at the entrance. If it's really been that long, shouldn't they have appeared by now?” The humanfolk asked.

“That's what I was thinking,” the mouse agreed. “In which case we should probably inform the King.”

“Yes, we probably should. Ma'am? Please wait here. I will return momentarily.”

Annabelle clasped her hands together. “Please _hurry_.” The guard nodded then hurried off.

* * *

Mausinger put his dinner plate to one side and folded his arms as he looked around at all the files they had still to search through. “I cannot believe there have been so many births in just these two years alone.”

Ratja smiled. “We _are_ one of the Five Great Nations, Otto. That means lots of people.”

“Yes, and lots of people mean lots of children being born. I only complain because it is making our lives difficult at the moment. We only need to find _one name_.”

“Perhaps we should start taking bets,” Tybal suggested. “Who here thinks the guards stationed at the cemetery will bring him in before we even find out his mother's maiden name?”

Doloran smiled at that. “I am beginning to feel that I should place my money on the guards.”

“Yes,” Mausinger sighed. “So am I.”

There was a knock on the door and Tybal erupted into a grin. “And this will be them now.”

“Come in.”

The humanfolk guard entered the library and bowed. “Your Majesty. I believe we may have word on the mousekind boy you're looking for.”

“You _do?”_ Mausinger replied.

“Told you!” Tybal crowed triumphantly.

“Yes, Your Majesty. A mousekind mother just appeared at the door to inform us that her son, Aurelius has gone to the cemetery. But I'm afraid there's been a complication.”

“What do you mean by a complication?” Mausinger asked with a frown.

“By her account that may well have been a half hour ago.”

Mausinger shot to his feet “A half _hour!?”_ He repeated with horror.

“What happened to my _men?”_ Captain Buck objected. “You can't mean to tell me that _two soldiers_ have been overpowered by a _teenager?”_

Doloran frowned. “It would seem that we have underestimated the boy's strength.”

“Nevermind _that_,” said Ratja. “If he's made it into the cemetery then he's in _real danger_.”

“Yes, I wouldn't imagine the boy did anything worse than rough them up,” Tybal added. “But if _Vermine_ catches him, he won't be able to defend himself from something that _won't die_. _Especially_ if he's already exhausted from the _previous_ battle.”

“Captain Buck, assemble a team of men post-haste and meet me in the entrance hall!” Mausinger commanded.

“At once, Your Majesty.” Captain Buck disappeared out of the door.

“Where is Annabelle now?”

“She's waiting in the entrance hall,” the guard replied.

“Very well. Then we shall go and greet her.”

“Perhaps…” Doloran began. “Perhaps I should…?”

Ratja and Mausinger exchanged looks. “I never did like Vermine that much,” she admitted. “But Annabelle… she has a right to be angry over what you did.”

“Yes…” He agreed.

“But I still think you should face her, Doloran. You can't run away from this forever.”

He sighed and hung his head. “No, I… I suppose not.”

“Shall we then?” Mausinger asked.

“Yes…” He replied. “We shall.”

* * *

The mousekind soldier straightened up when he noticed his humanfolk friend returning with the King and Queen and then bowed. “Your Majesties.”

Annabelle's attention however, was focused entirely on Doloran. She felt anger rising in her chest with every beat of her heart, with every step he took closer. Her fists clenched. “_You_…”

“Yes,” He replied awkwardly. “I am-” But he didn't get to finish because she surged forward suddenly and slapped him _hard_. The sound echoed through the entrance hall and Mausinger, Ratja and Tybal collectively winced. Doloran clutched his stinging cheek and looked at her in shock. “I’ve been wanting to do that for _ten years,” _she snarled. “I know what my husband did was _wrong_, but… but he didn’t deserve _that!_ And thanks to you, I'll… I'll never know why he _lied_ to me about what he was really planning.”

“He was corrupted.”

“He was _what?”_

“During the time I was seeking to restore my Kingdom and Kingmaker, I corrupted a number of individuals in order to further my plans. Your husband was one of them. It made his ambition become all consuming.” Annabelle's eyes went as wide as saucers. “And as for why he never told you anything, I would _imagine_ that he felt there was a possibility that you would reveal his plans to Mausinger if he _did_.”

“All this time, I thought… I thought it was something that I'd done, or _didn't_ do… But you're telling me it was _you_. It was something you_ did_ to him.”

“If you think I was _controlling_ him then you are _mistaken_. He was acting under his own volition and all in the pursuit of _power_. The corruption essentially brings out the worst in someone and shows you _exactly_ what they are capable of, as well the _lengths_ they are willing to go to.”

“_Which is something you'd know all about now _wouldn't you?!” She raged.

“Y… yes…” He dropped his gaze. “I… I suppose I _would_… But you should know that his thirst for power was _already_ considerable by the time we met. He consequently fell to my corruption _very_ easily.”

Annabelle's scowl intensified as she balled her fists. As much as she wanted to deny his words, she couldn't. Mausinger and Ratja exchanged looks; It looked like she was gearing up to slap him again, so he quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation. “Annabelle.” When she turned to him, he smiled. “It has been some time since I saw you last.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty… It has.”

“I trust you remember Ratja?”

Ratja smiled warmly. “It's nice to see you again, Annabelle.”

Annabelle dropped her gaze and mumbled. “You can't mean that, Your Majesty. We were… we were _hardly_ friends…”

“I know… But it's not as if I couldn't understand where you were coming from. It's just that… I could never hate the grimalkin the way that others could, even after everything they'd done. That must've been so…”

“Unbelievable,” Annabelle supplied. “But you were right and… _I_ was the one who was wrong. And-and Ding Dong Dell is so much better now… thanks to you and King Mausinger.”

“That is very kind of you to say,” Mausinger replied. After Tybal cleared his throat, he said. “And this is Tybal Softpaw. As I am sure you are aware, he is your late husband's successor.”

“I understand you were married to my predecessor but have since reverted to your maiden name.”

“Yes, that's right. I'm Annabelle Fielding now.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fielding.” They shook hands.

Mausinger spotted Captain Buck and a small group of mousekind and grimalkin soldiers approaching out of the corner of his eye. “I am afraid I cannot stay and chat, Annabelle. But I will speak with you later. And I will have to leave the explanations to you, Ratja.”

“Of course, Otto.”

“Your Majesty, we are ready to depart,” Captain Buck announced.

“Then we must do so with all haste!” They disappeared in a flash of light as he Travelled them away.

Annabelle turned to Ratja with a worried frown. “Aurelius… He's done something hasn't he?”

“Let's go somewhere more private.”

“I'll go to the kitchen to procure some alcohol,” said Tybal. To Annabelle he said. “I am certain you will be in need of it.”

She gave him a troubled look in reply. As he headed off, Ratja lead her to the throne room with Doloran following but at a distance. The two mice sat down on the steps leading up to the throne and Ratja took Annabelle's hands in hers. “Annabelle,” she began. “Aurelius has…” She hesitated before continuing. “He has found something called a Blood Revival spell.”

“A _what?”_ She uttered with about as much horror as she probably felt.

“A Blood Revival spell,” Ratja repeated. “It's a spell that can raise the dead.”

Annabelle knew _immediately_ where this was going. Her hands flew to her mouth, aghast. “Oh _gods_, then… then the monster in the cemetery…”

“Is your husband, yes.”

She buried her face in her hands. “No… _Aurelius!” _Gods _above_, what had he _done?!_ “This is why you need to speak to him then, isn't it?”

Ratja and Doloran exchanged looks. “We do need to determine where he found the spell,” he replied, finally breaking his silence. “But more than that we were hoping to keep him _safe_. The Blood Revival spell allows the caster to bring the dead back to life but at a _price_. A blood price as I am sure you have already guessed. One that Vermine seeks to collect. For you see, the spell is in essence the exchanging of one life for another.”

Annabelle was shaking her head as if with that very action she could gain the power to deny reality. “Are you saying that… that Vinny will try to _kill_ Aurelius?”

“Yes… I am afraid so.”

“But he would _never_-!”

“I am afraid he _would_, Miss Fielding. He needs Aurelius' blood in order to complete the spell and while it is still active he is _compelled_ to see it through. So you must not think of him as being your husband. Until the spell is complete, he is not truly himself and if we were to take you to him now, he would not recognise you, nor would _you_ recognise _him_.”

Annabelle sat there in a horrified silence.

Then Tybal reappeared with a bottle of alcohol in hand. “It seems I timed my return perfectly. You look like you are in dire need of some fortification, Miss Fielding.”

“Yes… please…”

He held out the bottle. “I anticipated you would need something strong so I picked out some port.”

Annabelle took the bottle with a mumbled thanks and took one long pull before letting it fall into her lap. _“What…?”_ She began, her voice hoarse. _“What happens now?”_

“Unfortunately the spell can only be completed in one of two ways; If the blood price is paid or if Aurelius should die before then. And since Vermine cannot be killed until the spell is completed, he will have to be contained. So there is nothing any one of us here can do except trust in King Mausinger,” Doloran replied.

Ratja squeezed her hand. “Otto will come through, Annabelle. He'll bring Aurelius back.”

“If he's not too late already you mean?” Ratja gave her a pained look. “But if he _is_ then… then I get my husband back, but… but at the cost of my son… isn't that right? I have to hope that Vinny will _stay_ _dead_ if I want to see Aurelius again, don't I?” In the silence that ensued, Annabelle took another swig.

“Forgive me for asking, Miss Fielding,” Tybal ventured. “I have heard much about my predecessor, though none of it favourable. But I am more curious to hear of your son. He seems to be very… _gifted_ for his age.”

Annabelle smiled. “Yes. He is.” Then the smile faded. “But there's a reason for that. Aurelius was such a sweet child, and in many respects he still is. He was open and affectionate and so talkative and inquisitive. But… but after Vinny died… that all changed. He withdrew… Shut himself up in his room. When he wasn't at school he was reading. Or practicing his magic. I don't know if was he thinking of getting better so he could take revenge or if he was just burying himself in books and magic as a way of coping with his grief. Maybe it was even _both_. Either way. The reason he's so _gifted_, Chancellor? It's because he spent most of his childhood doing _little else_.” Doloran looked away and Annabelle took another swig.

Ratja's CeeDlink blipped and she pulled it out in surprise. “Annabelle!” She exclaimed. “That was Otto. He's taken Aurelius to the hospital.”

“He has?! Is Aurelius… is he all right?”

“He didn't say.”

“I suppose it might be too early to say for certain,” said Tybal. “But at least for the moment he still lives.”

“I can take you there,” said Doloran.

Annabelle placed the bottle down next to her and stood. “Please do.”

“I'll come too,” said Ratja.

Doloran nodded. “Very well.”

“You'll take care of things here while we're away, won't you Tybal?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Tybal replied. “Ding Dong Dell will be safe in my hands for a few hours, or however long it takes.”

“And… and if you could apologise to Theo for us… Tell him we'll explain everything to him later. Once this is all over.”

Tybal smiled. “Fear not, Your Majesty. I'm sure His Highness will understand. And I'm sure he'll be happy to spend some time with his Uncle Tybal in the meantime.”

She smiled back. “Thank you, Tybal.”

He bowed. “Your Majesty. King Doloran. And Miss Fielding. I hope Aurelius manages to pull through.”

“Thank you, Chancellor.”

“Are you both ready?” Doloran asked after Tybal had departed from the throne room to find Theodore.

Annabelle and Ratja exchanged looks. “We're ready,” they chorused. Doloran placed a hand on each of their shoulders. When they all opened their eyes again, they were standing outside Ding Dong Dell's hospital and Annabelle was off like a shot.

* * *

Mausinger and Captain Buck and his men rematerialised in the Cat's Cradle tripdoor. He turned to one of the soldiers. “If all goes well, this will be for nought. But if what I fear is true, see that the hospital is prepared to receive a patient suffering from heavy blood loss then join us in the cemetery.”

The soldier saluted. “Your Majesty.” Then shot off.

“Now with me all of you! We have not a moment to spare!” Mausinger raced ahead and the others quickly fell in. The sound of armoured feet beating against cobbled stone filled the air. When they reached entrance to the path way that lead up to the cemetery, they discovered the two guards who had confronted Aurelius slumped against the stone walls.

They were moaning and groaning and both they and the area around them bore the aftermath of their tussle. “_Ugh_, no one warned us he could _teleport,” _the grimalkin complained. “He has no _business_ being that strong.”

“Are you both all right?” Captain Buck asked.

“We'll live, but you should hurry,” the mouse replied. “We just heard a scream…”

They wasted no further time. Ahead of them the gates to the cemetery were already unlocked and open. “Should luck not be on our side, we will have to split up to search the cemetery,” said Mausinger. “Whosoever finds them first, your priority is to secure Aurelius before alerting the rest of us.”

“Understood,” they chorused.

Fortunately some luck _was_ on their side; Aurelius had had the sense to flee only to fall short of the entrance. Vermine had him pinned, his teeth buried in Aurelius' neck and Mausinger was not surprised to find him partially regenerated from the blood he had already consumed. “Ver_mine!”_ he shouted.

Vermine looked up, teeth now stained red. Mausinger wound up for a strike, teleported across the distance and punted him away with his sword. He went sailing back with a surprised squeal and the scene would've been comical if not for the reality of the situation. “Restrain him!” he commanded. The soldiers rushed forward as he knelt to check on Aurelius. Aurelius' neck was red with blood and he was very still. Mausinger gently rolled him onto his back. “Aurelius?” For a moment there was no response and Mausinger feared him dead.

But then Aurelius' hauled his eyes open with a great effort and he mumbled, _“King…__ Mausinger…”_

Mausinger sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.”

Captain Buck was suddenly pressing a sterile pad to the wound on Aurelius' neck. “We were just in time,” he commented. “But he's lost a lot of blood as you anticipated.”

“Unfortunately so. I can teleport us to the hospital, but you will have to carry him.”

“Understood,” he replied. “Aurelius?” Aurelius' gaze slid over him. “I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Captain Buck.”

“_Hello… Captain…”_

A brief smile. “I'm going to pick you up now, all right? So I need you to hold the pad in place while I do.”

“_Yes… Captain…”_

He gently moved Aurelius' arm and positioned it so that he could hold the pad against his neck without too much effort. Then he carefully scooped the boy into his arms and got to this feet. “We're ready now, Your Majesty.”

Mausinger nodded. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, then he shut his eyes and focused on their destination. In a flash they reappeared in the hospital's tripdoor, several metres from the entrance to the building itself. A mixed team of healers rushed out to meet them wheeling a trolley. The lead healer, a humanfolk woman clad in white, stepped forward. “Set him down here,” she commanded and Captain Buck did as instructed. “What's his name?”

“Aurelius Fielding,” Mausinger supplied.

“And what happened?” She asked as the team began wheeling him into the hospital.

“To cut a long story short, he tried to bring his father back to life with a spell. Unfortunately he did not know that the spell came with a price, one that his father came close to collecting as you can see. We found him with his father's teeth buried in his neck in the process of draining his blood.”

The lead healer frowned. “So he's been bitten on the neck by a resurrected corpse and then had some of his blood drained, is that right?”

“Yes, that about sums it up.”

“Right, well… We'll take it from here.” She smiled gently down at him. “Aurelius? Can you hear me?”

His gaze slid over her as he tried to focus on her face._ “Yes… ma'am…”_

“You're going to be all right, Aurelius.”

“_I'm… so… tired…”_

“Stay awake for me a little longer, all right?” They disappeared through double doors into the hospital itself where Mausinger and Captain Buck could no longer follow.

He heaved a sigh and Captain Buck commented, “Now it's in their hands.”

“So it is,” he agreed.

“We should return, Your Majesty. There is nothing more we can do here.”

“Agreed. But I should first inform Ratja that Aurelius has been taken to hospital.” So saying that, Mausinger pulled out his CeeDlink and texted Ratja an update. “Now, assuming they are all together,” he said, as he tucked the CeeDlink away into his overcoat, “I believe Doloran will be appearing with Annabelle very shortly.”

“We should probably postpone our departure then, Your Majesty. I'm sure Miss Fielding would prefer to hear from you personally how her son is doing.”

“Yes,” he agreed with a sigh. “Unfortunately I am afraid that we do not have much by the way of good news to give her.”

“We brought him in alive, Your Majesty. That should count for something.”

“I suppose it shall.”

“King Mausinger!” Annabelle rushed into the lobby moments later, with Ratja and Doloran following behind her. “Your Majesty, is… is Aurelius… is he all right?”

“I do not know how he is currently, Miss Fielding, but I will not deceive you. Vermine was able to drain a significant amount of blood before we were able to stop him. And although your son was alive when we brought him in, he was in a very grave condition.”

She swallowed. “And… my husband?”

“The spell has not been completed, so he is still between life and death.”

“So what… what are you going to do?”

“Until the matter can be resolved, I will have him confined to the dungeons so that he cannot hurt anyone else. If all goes well, and I pray it does, then I will speak with you again.”

“I see…” She swallowed again. “Thank… Thank you… Your Majesty. I'm… I'm sorry this has all happened.”

Mausinger raised his eyebrows and exchanged a look with Ratja. “There is no need for you to apologise, Annabelle.”

“But he's my _son._ I'm supposed to be _responsible_ for him… To keep him out of _trouble_… but I… I _failed_.”

“I am sure you did everything you could.”

Annabelle hung her head. “Your Majesty is too kind,” she sniffled. “I just wish… I just wish there was more I could do. More I could've _done_.”

“Is there someone you would like us to call for you?” Mausinger asked.

She shook her head. “No… Thank you… I can… I can barely process this all myself… I wouldn't know how to explain it to my friends.”

“No… Nor would I,” he agreed. He turned to Ratja. “Captain Buck and I will be returning to the cemetery to deal with Vermine.”

“I'll stay here with Annabelle.”

He nodded. “And you, Doloran?”

“I will… I will remain here as well. At least until Aurelius' fate has been determined.”

“Very well. Captain Buck, are you ready to depart?”

“Ready, Your Majesty.” Mausinger placed a hand on his shoulder and they both disappeared in a flash.

Ratja asked. “Are you sure you don't want anyone?”

“Yes, Your Majesty… At least… not for now.”

“Well… all right then. Oh! _Annabelle_. You'd better check in with the front desk, so they know you're here.”

“Oh! Yes, I should. I'll- I'll go do that.” So saying that, she hurried off to the reception desk.

* * *

Mausinger and Captain Buck returned to the cemetery. Two soldiers had Vermine firmly restrained and he was struggling in their grasp but was hopelessly outmatched in strength. Small wonder as he had been physically weak in life, even declining Mausinger's offers to train him. _“Let… me… go.” _He was enunciating more clearly now but his voice was hoarse and raspy.

“Vermine?” He stopped struggling and turned his head in Mausinger's direction. This made Mausinger wonder if it was possible to reason with him now. “Do you remember me?”

Vermine stared back with eyeless sockets. Then he spoke. _“You… are not… him… Where… is… Aurelius?”_

“And who is Aurelius?”

“_It… is not… enough… I need… more.”_

“Do you _know_ who Aurelius is?”

“_I need… _more_.”_

“Vermine!” He grabbed his shoulders. “Do you understand what you are _saying?!”_

“_Where… is… he?”_

“It's no use, Your Majesty,” said Captain Buck. “He does not appear to be able to listen to reason.”

Mausinger sighed and let his arms fall to his side. “It is as Doloran said. Until the spell is complete, he is not truly himself.”

“We've got no choice then.”

“Indeed. Aurelius will need time to heal from his encounter. So Vermine will be confined to the dungeons until that time arrives.”

“Understood, Your Majesty. I'll have a guard posted outside the entrance at all times so that he doesn't escape.”

“I do not imagine he _will_, but it _is_ better to be safe than sorry. Additionally I would _also_ ask that you keep the details of his identity on a need to know basis.”

“Will do.”

Mausinger turned to two of the soldiers that had accompanied them. “You two, run on ahead and see to the guards who confronted Aurelius. I will Travel us all back to the castle once we join you.”

They saluted. “Your Majesty.” And then hurried off.

To the soldiers restraining Vermine. “Is he adequately secured?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Very good. Then let us escort our _guest_ to his _chambers_.” He spun on his heel and began marching out of the cemetery. Captain Buck and his men fell in behind him, and the two soldiers restraining Vermine began dragging him along. He resisted but to no avail. About halfway down he suddenly went into spasms, emitting an awful gagging, choking noise that made the fur on the back of their necks bristle.

“What's the _matter_ with him?” Captain Buck demanded as they all cringed.

Just as suddenly he stopped. And then collapsed forward, hitting the cobblestones with a light _thud_. There was a pause in which no one moved or spoke, until one of the soldiers who had been escorting him poked him with a foot. “I think… I think he's dead… um. Again.”

“Then the spell must have _ended_,” said Mausinger.

“Your Majesty, did you not say the only way to end the spell was through Aurelius' _death?”_ Asked Captain Buck.

“… Yes…I did.”

One of the other soldiers spoke up. “So… does this mean… We were too late?”

He frowned. “It would appear so…”

Their shoulders sagged and one sighed. “Poor kid.”

“What happens now, Your Majesty?”

Mausinger was about to respond when everyone collectively recoiled in response to Vermine suddenly moving again. They watched in fascinated horror as he slowly got back to his feet. “Im_possible_…” Mausinger breathed.

“… Your Majesty?” Captain Buck asked, but Mausinger had no explanation.

“_Wh… __whe… where…”_ He rasped. _“Where… am I…?”_ He raised his hands to his throat. _“Wh… what's wrong… with my voice?” _A stunned silence met these words and Mausinger felt his jaw hang open. _“Is…__ is someone there?” _He asked, his partially regenerated ears twisting this way and that.

He stepped forward. “Vermine?”

Vermine's head snapped in his direction._ “M… _ Mausinger _…? Mausinger… is that you? Wh… where _ are _ we? W-why is it… so _dark?”

Mausinger was speechless for a moment. “It is _King_ Mausinger,” he blurted out. “Have you _forgotten?_ Have you _forgotten_ how we conspired to kill Leonhard so that I could take the throne?” He marched forward, his anger building with each step. “Have you _forgotten_ how you _manipulated_ me into believing that Leonhard deserved to _die_ in the _first place?!” _Vermine squealed as Mausinger seized him roughly by the waistcoat. “How much of our friendship was real?!” He shouted as he shook Vermine so hard that his teeth cracked together. “Was that a lie _too?!_ Was _everything a lie?!” _Suddenly they were being pulled apart and he snapped back to his senses to find the soldiers surrounding them and a restraining hand placed on his chest courtesy of Captain Buck. He stood there panting for a moment as his anger evaporated. They stared back, gazes laced with concern. Concern for _Vermine?_ No, he realised belatedly. Concern for _him_. He swallowed. “My… my apologies… for that outburst.” Captain Buck removed his hand, apparently satisfied. Mausinger took a deep breath and expelled it slowly before stepping forward once more. “Vermine?” Vermine shrank back even though he had spoken softly. “What is the last that you remember?”

He was silent for a moment. Then._ “… I… remember… _ hunger _…”_

“Hunger?” He repeated with surprise as the soldiers exchanged looks. “What _else_ do you remember?”

“… _There was… a boy… I… I _chased_ him…”_

“_Then_ what did you do?”

“… _I… attacked him… I drank… his blood…”_

“And this boy. Do you know who he was?” Vermine was silent. Mausinger crouched so they were eye level. “Vermine. Do you _know_ who he was?”

“… _He… he _claimed_ to be… my _son_…”_

“You do not believe him?”

“He _can't_ be!… Aurelius is _seven, _not!… _Not_…”

“_Seventeen?_ Did he not explain that _ten years_ have passed since you saw him last?”

“… _Yes…”_

“In which case he _would_ be seventeen, would he not?”

“_Y… yes…”_

“So then, would it not be _entirely_ possible for the boy to be _exactly_ who he claims to be?”

Vermine shook his head._ “… No… He _ can't _ be Aurelius…”_

He straightened up and folded his arms. “And why not?”

“Because that would mean I _killed_ him!”

“But… we don't know that for sure, do we?” One of the soldiers supplied hopefully.

“I _drained_ his _blood_,” he snapped in the soldier's general direction. “_How could he… how could he __have __survive__d_ that?”

“But medicine has advanced in the past ten years. Now we have a medical procedure called a blood transfusion.”

“_A blood… transfusion?”_

“Yes. Blood that is lost can be replaced.”

“… _You mean… he lives…?”_ Now it was Mausinger's turn to remain silent. _“Mausinger… he… he _lives?”

He was concerned to find himself _seriously_ _contemplating_ informing Vermine that Aurelius _was_ in fact dead, _purely_ for the sake of the pain that would inflict. The pause was long enough that Captain Buck spoke. “Your Majesty…”

“Yes, Vermine,” he said at last. “He lives.” As Vermine sagged in relief, he continued. “So now that _that_ is out of the way, _old friend._ You and I need to have a _conversation.”_ He turned to Captain Buck. “Captain, take your men and see that the two guards are assisted to the castle's infirmary.”

Captain Buck glanced at Vermine. “Are you sure about that, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, Captain. I would speak with him _alone.”_

“… As you wish.” He signalled his men to follow and they fell in behind him, though reluctantly. Mausinger waited until they had disappeared from sight before turning back. He was surprised to find Vermine had sunk to his knees in that time and knelt beside him. “Vermine-?”

“_Mausinger… __I'm… I'm _dead_… aren't I…?”_ There was resignation in his tone. _“__I can't feel the breath… in my lungs… or the beating… of my heart…”_

“Yes,” he confirmed. “You _are_ dead. But for now it seems, you _live.”_

“… _My son… What did he do?”_

“A Blood Revival Spell. It is a spell that can bring the dead back to life but at a _price_. I am certain I do not need to clarify what that is.”

“… _No…”_ He agreed. _“But why… why did I…?”_

“You had no choice in the matter, Vermine. The spell compelled you to act.”

“… _I see… And where__… __w__here is Annabelle?”_

“In the hospital. Where your son is being treated.”

“_She… lives? Is she… happy…?”_

“_Happy?”_ He repeated. “I would _hardly_ imagine that she is _happy_ after what happened to Aurelius.” Of course that wasn't what he was asking. He sighed. “I do not know, Vermine. She left the castle shortly after your funeral and did not keep in touch.”

“_I want… to see her…”_

“You are in no condition to be seeing _any_one.”

“_I want to hear… her voice at least…”_

“Vermine…”

“_Wouldn't you… in my shoes, Mausinger…?”_

“Those ten years in the ground have _not_ been kind to you, Vermine. You look _terrible. _As if you have stepped out of someone's _nightmare_. Is _that_ how you want her to remember you?”

Vermine hung his head. _“… I… suppose… not…”_

An awkward silence stretched between them until Mausinger spoke again. “So. You did not answer my earlier questions…”

Vermine raised his head. _“__How much… was real? I suppose… that would depend… You see, your friendship… offered me an opportunity.”_

“An _opportunity?”_

“_Yes… You were close to the _King_, Mausinger… not to mention… _Lord Chancellor_… An enviable position… in both cases… Any friend of yours… would've reaped the benefits… Before you, Mausinger, I was no-one… Afterwards…? People began to notice me then…”_

“So I was a _tool_ to you from the _very_ _beginning?!”_

“… _Yes… I suppose you were… But if it's any consolation, I… I really _did_ like you.”_

“_Hardly_ a consolation, Vermine! You would have _endured_ my company _regardless!”_

“… _I suppose… that is true…”_

“Doloran tells me you were already quite _ambitious_ by the time you both met. But this does not lead me to understand why you _manipulated_ me the _first _place_._ Why you wanted to become _king_.”

“_Is it really so hard… to __understand__? Power comes with wealth… status… and _respect_… All of which I _lacked_… And all of which I have wanted… for as long as I can remember…_ _T__hen one day… I wanted it more than I ever had before… And so I threw away our friendship in pursuit of that desire… It was so _easy_.”_ Mausinger scowled. _“King Leonhard was taking so long to fulfil his promises… that you began to fear that he was _using_ you… And you confided in me your fears and doubts… So when Doloran appeared… to offer me everything my heart desired… in exchange for Leonhard's Kingsbond… I used those fears and doubts against you.”_

“A fact of which I am _keenly_ aware,” he replied icily. “But I was surprised to learn that you had kept _Annabelle_ in the dark in regards to your true plans. Did you not feel you could _trust_ her?”

Vermine's head sank forward onto his chest, seemingly in contemplation and he did not answer immediately. _“… I… did__n't__ want… children… when we first met… __I didn't want them to share… in my misfortune… __I __had __decided… t__he only way to protect them… was for them not t__o __exist…”_

“Yes,” Mausinger sighed. “That was a sentiment in which I shared…”

“_When you became chancellor… she was so happy… She had thought this meant… that life for us… was going to change… She even convinced me… to rethink my position… on children… And so Aurelius… was born to us… over two years later… But I do not regret… that he was born… only what… he went through… As he grew up… with no improvement in sight… all Annabelle would express… was her disappointment… that you wouldn't act… At first… while my plan was in progress… I could not be certain… what she would do, how… she would react… so I told her nothing… Then we plotted the coup… and for the sake of secrecy… I told her nothing… And I continued to find excuse… after excuse… That evening… just after the coup had ended… when I explained… what had occurred… she was overjoyed… She was _proud _of me… for becoming chancellor… and for the role she thought… I'd played… And she was _happy_ that you… had finally decided… to take action… She was as loyal to you… as much as she loved me… and I feared that her loyalty… may have proved greater… so I continued to tell her… nothing…”_

“Then assuming everything _had_ gone according to plan, Vermine, exactly _how_ did you think Annabelle was going to react to what you had done?”

But Vermine shook his head. _“It is pointless… to ask me… such a question, Mausinger… My desire was… all consuming… __and all that mattered… was what I wanted… I gave no consideration…. to 'what if?'… But I suppose… I simply assumed… that she would love me… no matter what I did…”_

“Looking back, Vermine… How do you feel?”

He raised his head long enough to reply, “It cost me… _everything_… Mausinger! How do you _think_… I feel?!”

“I _think_ you regret that you were _punished,” _he spat. “Not what you _did. _Would I be _wrong?”_

“_Perhaps… that is so… but tell me, what… does it matter…? I betrayed you… and received _exactly_… what I deserved… Is that not… what you've already… decided?”_

“Whether or not you _do_ regret your actions makes all the difference in the world, Vermine. And from what you have told me that does _not_ appear to be the case.”

“_I enjoyed… my time… as chancellor… I had… nearly everything… I'd ever wanted… I do not… regret… that… But I… regret… what it did… to my son_…” He continued after a brief pause._ “I had… no mother… No _father_…”_

“Were you… orphaned?”

A halting, bitter laugh. _“No… I was…… _ abandoned…… _ It is… my greatest…… _ shame _…”_

“I had no idea…”

“_Did you _really think_…… _Vermine……_ was a _real name?”

“I had my doubts, but… if that's not your name then what _is?”_

“_Oh but… it _is_…… My _parents_,”_ he spat. _“Did not see fit…… to give me one…… themselves…… so I chose one…… for myself.”_

Mausinger blinked. “I _see_…”

“_I do not…… miss them…… I can't _imagine_…… what that feels like…… but I know…… Aurelius…… misses _me……_ And because of that…… he nearly died…… _I……_ nearly killed him…… In the end…… he…… and Annabelle…… are the ones…… who paid…… for my actions.”_

Mausinger's expression softened. Then he sighed. “So where do we stand, you and I?”

“_Wherever you……… want us to…………… Your Majesty.”_

Belatedly, he registered that Vermine's speech had been slowing down as well as decreasing in volume. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Vermine?”

“… _Mau…singer……” _His voice was barely above a whisper now, and Mausinger had to lean in close in order to hear him._ “… I'm…………… sso…………… cold……………” _

He realised then that this was the end. “… What would you have me tell your family?”

“… _Tell……………… them……………… I'm…………………… ssso… rry…………………”_

“Vermine?” He gently shook him but received no response, and when he lightly pushed him, Vermine slumped lifelessly to the ground. So that was it then. He heaved a sigh and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. A short time later he was drawn out of his musings by the return of Captain Buck. He blinked at him in surprise. “Captain…”

“I saw the guards back to the castle but thought it best to return, Your Majesty,” he explained then glanced at Vermine. “Is he dead then?”

Mausinger followed his gaze. “Yes. This time I would hazard permanently.”

“I see you were in no rush to return to Miss Fielding, Your Majesty. Can't say I blame you.”

“No, though… in truth… I was mulling over his words.”

“What did he say?”

“Would you believe that the reason we became friends was because he wanted to raise his social standing?_”_

“Considering what happened? I _can_ believe that.”

“Yes… Now I am deciding how that makes me _feel_.”

“What are you going to do with his body?”

“I would imagine his family would wish to attend his reburial. So I suppose I should turn him over to Mr Tanner in the meantime.”

“By _family_, you mean, _Miss Fielding?”_

Mausinger's expression became pained. “Y-yes… I suppose I do.”

“That wasn't your fault, Your Majesty. We did everything we could.”

“That will not be how Annabelle will see it. After all this would not be the _first_ time she has had to learn of a family member's true activities through their misfortune, only for this to then follow with their _death.”_

“… No…”

“But either way, I believe the matter of the monster in the cemetery has now been resolved and we should inform Mr Tanner that he may return to his duties.” He moved to pick up Vermine's corpse but Captain Buck stopped him.

“Allow me, Your Majesty.”

“As you wish, Captain.” He got to his feet as Captain Buck scooped Vermine into his arms, lifting him easily. “I trust you have Mr Tanner's address.”

“I do.”

“Excellent. Then lead the way.”

* * *

Casper's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he beheld the sight that awaited him upon opening his door. Not only was the King of Ding Dong Dell standing on his very own doorstep, but hanging lifelessly in the mouse captain's arms was the thing that had attacked him just the other night, although he _swore_ that it was looking a lot better than it had the last time he'd seen it.

“Greetings, Mr Tanner,” Mausinger began pleasantly. “Forgive the interruption so late in the evening but as you can see; The matter of the cemetery has now been resolved and you are free to return to your duties.”

“That's, uh… good to hear.” He eyed Vermine nervously, half expecting him to reanimate and attack him again. “You're, um… you're sure that thing is dead?”

“Yes I am sure. I watched the life drain out of him with my very own eyes, and you have my assurances that he will not trouble you further.”

“Who… who _was_ he. If I may ask?”

Mausinger exchanged a look with Captain Buck before replying. “He was… he _is_… the late Chancellor Vermine.”

Casper's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. “_Is_ he now? Of all the people to return to life… Did you ever find out _how _or _why?__”_

“I cannot give you any details and I have my reasons, but trust that the incident will not repeat itself.”

“Oh, well, fair enough I suppose.”

“Also I must ask that you keep the true nature of the monster in the cemetery to yourself.”

“Yes of course. I'll not breathe a word of this to anyone.”

“Thank you, Mr Tanner. May we leave him with you? I would imagine that his family- or… at least his wife… that is, his _widow_. Would wish to be present for his reburial. So if you could postpone doing so, I will instruct her to come to you when she is ready.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. If you would kindly wait a moment.” He disappeared back into his house. After a short moment the lights were turned off and Tanner reappeared now dressed in a hat and long coat and with a lantern clasped in one hand. He locked the door behind him before turning to face them. “If I may have my keys?”

“Yes. Of course.” Mausinger retrieved the keys from his arms band and turned them over.

“Now the corpse if you please.” He took Vermine into his arms. “I'll take this from here.” He bowed to Mausinger. “Your Majesty.” Nodded at Captain Buck. “Captain.”

“Mr Tanner,” they chorused. And then he was gone.

“Will you be returning to the hospital, Your Majesty?”

“Yes… I am afraid it is unavoidable.”

“Should I accompany you?”

“No, Captain. I will return alone.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty. Then I shall _also_ return to my duties.” He bowed and turned to leave.

“Captain-?”

Captain Buck turned back. “Yes?”

“I did not thank you… for earlier…”

“For…earlier, Your Majesty?”

“It was very kind of you to return to check on me after I had sent you away.”

“Oh, yes. I have to admit I was concerned, after the way you, well, _exploded._” Mausinger winced. “And it wasn't just me, either. I was going to go back anyway, but my men urged me return as well.”

“That is… very kind of you all. If would thank them for their concern and assure them that I am well, I would be most grateful.”

He smiled. “I'll see to it, Your Majesty.” He bowed and left, and Mausinger took a deep breath and prepared himself to return to the hospital.

* * *

The doors _whooshing_ open heralded his arrival.

“Mausinger,” Doloran said by way of greeting. “I trust Vermine has been suitably restrained if you have returned?”

Instead of answering, he looked around in confusion. “Where are Ratja and Annabelle?”

“Miss Fielding was taken to one of the private waiting rooms to await news of her son. Your wife went with her.”

“I see. And… _has_ there been any news?”

“I have received no such communication from either Miss Fielding _or_ Queen Mausinger, so… I would assume not.”

“_No?”_ He frowned. Was it possible that Aurelius yet_ lived?_

“Did something happen?”

“While we where in the process of escorting Vermine to the dungeons, he… well… he _died_, Doloran.”

Doloran sat up sharply, eyes going wide. “You were _too late?__”_

“That _is_ what I thought. But if there is yet to be any news on his condition, then it would seem that he lives on.”

“How long ago?”

“Well… we spoke for a short time… then we took his body to Mr Tanner… so I would hazard somewhere within half an hour.”

Doloran hummed. “That is quite the delay. So it _is_ possible that he still lives. But it is _equally_ possible that he may yet die as well…”

Mausinger frowned. “That _is_ true… I suppose we shall just have to wait and see.”

“Then I shall continue to wait here. And if there is any news, good _or_ ill, I would… I would much like to hear it.”

He nodded. “Of course. I will let you know.”

“Thank you, Mausinger.”

* * *

Ratja and Annabelle both looked up when he entered the room. “Otto!” Ratja jumped up and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly and buried his face into her hair. Gods he needed this. Then she pulled away and cupped his cheek. “Are you all right?”

“Annabelle, I would speak with Ratja outside.”

“Of-of course, Your Majesty.”

He took her hand and lead her out of the room. He stepped away from the door so Annabelle would not be able to overhear. “Ratja, there has been a development. In the process of escorting Vermine to the dungeons, he… he _died_.”

“Oh _no_,” Ratja gasped. “You mean Aurelius is…?”

“Yes, it would appear that way. But if there is yet to be any word on his condition, then there may still be hope that he lives on.”

“What should we tell Annabelle?”

“Considering the uncertainty? Perhaps it is best to tell her nothing. How cruel would it be for us to tell her that her son is dead while he yet lives?”

“That _would_ be awful…”

“But there's more, Ratja. After Vermine died, he… he _lived_. For a brief moment he lived again. And I was able to ask him some questions.”

“What did he say?”

“He said a lot of things but now is perhaps not the best time to repeat them all. Although I will say this; The reason for our _friendship_, Ratja? Was because it was to his _benefit_ to become my friend.”

“And… how that does make you feel?”

“I am surprised to say that I am not angry. I am… disappointed. _Immensely_ disappointed. But I suppose… that I now know where we both stand.”

Ratja hugged him again, but this time she let him be the one to pull away. “Shall we go back inside?” He nodded and they re-entered the room hand in hand.

Annabelle rose this time and curtsied. “Your Majesty, what… what has become of my husband?”

“He has been… dealt with. But he is as Doloran has said so I dare not suppose that… that you would want to see him?”

Annabelle gave him an expression of horror. “To see his reanimated _corpse?_ No, Your Majesty. I don't want to see _that_. Besides… he isn't even really my husband, so it's… it's not as if I could ask him anything.”

Mausinger was inwardly relieved. “Very well. Then it would seem that there is little else for us to do but _wait.”_


	5. Chapter 4: A Dream and a Nightmare

Annabelle snapped back to reality and jerked her head up when the door to the waiting room opened. A mouse with reddish brown fur and dressed in a white coat thrown on over green scrubs entered. He bowed first to Mausinger and Ratja before turning to her. He smiled reassuringly. “Hello, Mrs Fielding, I'm Dr Forester. I'm here to talk to you about your son.”

She swallowed. “Is he… is he all right?”

Dr Forester took a seat. “It was touch and go for a while, we had to resuscitate him a few times, but his condition has stabilised.”

“You-you mean… he's _alive?_ Aurelius is _alive?”_

“Yes, he is.”

Annabelle clutched her heart as Mausinger and Ratja heaved sighs of relief. “Oh thank the _gods_.”

“However. He hasn't responded to a blood transfusion in the way we would expect.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“Well… We don't entirely understand what happened to him. As best I can describe it, it's as if a chunk of his lifeforce was drained as well.”

“His _lifeforce?”_ Mausinger repeated then frowned.

“Yes, Your Majesty. At the moment he is still very weak so we are keeping him in the intensive care ward for now in order to continue monitoring him. But as this is the first time dealing with such a situation, I'm afraid we cannot give an estimation of how quickly he will recover from this, or even if he _will_. So if there's anything else you can tell us about how the spell works, that would be most appreciated.”

“I am afraid I cannot. All the information I have received was from Doloran, and I believe he has given me all the information he knows.”

“I see.”

Annabelle swallowed. “Can I… can I see him?”

He checked his watch. “Yes, you can. But just to forewarn you, the intensive care ward will be closing to visitors in half an hour. Considering the nature of the ward we must ask that you leave once visiting hours are over.”

“Of-of course.”

“He's also likely to be asleep after his ordeal, or will at least be feeling drowsy and a bit out of it if he's awake, so you may not be able to speak with him at this time.”

“I understand.”

“Annabelle,” said Mausinger. “We will wait for you here.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Dr Forester lead her to the intensive care ward. When they arrived she had to take a moment to steel herself before entering but she could not have prepared herself for the sight that greeted her. Wires and tubes ran from Aurelius to the various monitors and machinery that surrounded his bed. They made him look small and vulnerable. Or maybe it was because Aurelius looked ghastly; His fur had taken on a grey tint and his face was drawn, even in his sleep. Her heart clenched at the sight of him in such a state and she stifled a sob as tears blurred her vision. “Oh, sweetie…” He did not respond to her gently squeezing his hand. Nor did he stir when she began to stroke his hair. Under the beeping of the machinery as he slept on, Annabelle sang to him the lullaby that she used to sing when he was small, or sometimes when he was ill or couldn't sleep.

And she stayed by his bedside, until she could stay no more.

* * *

Mausinger rose after Annabelle and Dr Forester had left. “I should inform Doloran that Aurelius lives,” he explained.

Ratja stood as well. “Then I'll come with you.”

“Very well.” They returned to Doloran hand in hand.

He immediately got to his feet when he saw them approaching. “What news, Mausinger?”

“He lives,” Mausinger replied simply.

Doloran nodded. “That is good to hear. But what of his prospects, are they… promising as well?”

Mausinger and Ratja exchanged looks. “Unfortunately his prospects are somewhat ambiguous.”

A confused frown. “How so?”

“According to the doctor that came to see Annabelle, some of his lifeforce seems to have been drained as well,” Ratja explained.

“His _lifeforce?”_ Doloran repeated.

“Yes,” Mausinger confirmed. “Consequently they do not know how long it will take him to recover from his ordeal, or even if he _will.”_

“I _see.”_

“Is there anything else you can tell us about the spell?” Ratja asked.

Doloran shook his head. “No, I am afraid not. All that I have told you is everything I know.”

Mausinger sighed. “I thought as much. Still the knowledge you _did_ bring us was most helpful, Doloran.”

“You are too kind, Mausinger. But I would not have cause to bring you this information had I not…”

He placed a hand on Doloran's shoulder. “You cannot change the past, Doloran. But you _can_ make amends for it.”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I know. But there is nothing more that I can do here. It is now on the healers and Aurelius himself.”

He withdrew his hand. “We will let you know if anything changes.”

“Thank you, Mausinger. Then I shall return home. And I will see to it that the others are updated on all that has transpired.”

“Very good.” They shook hands. “Until next time, Doloran.”

“Until next time.” He inclined his head to Ratja. “Queen Mausinger.”

“Take care, Doloran,” she replied. And then he was gone.

“We had best head back before Annabelle returns. It would not do to leave her wondering where we went after telling her we would wait for her.”

As they headed back, she asked. “Are you going to tell her what happened to Vermine?”

“Yes. Now that we know Aurelius survived.”

“I guess there's no reason to continue deceiving her… but I wonder how she's going to take it.”

“As do I. But I suppose we will find out.”

“Yes…” She agreed. “I suppose we will.”

* * *

They both stood when Annabelle entered. “Annabelle,” Ratja spoke first. “How is he?”

“He was… asleep.”

“After the ordeal he went through I cannot say I am surprised,” Mausinger commented. “Did he appear well otherwise?”

Annabelle shook her head. “He had all sorts of wires and tubes attached to him, and… and some of his fur has turned _grey_. And you should've seen his _face_, he looked _awful.”_

Mausinger and Ratja exchanged troubled looks. “Are _you_ all right, Annabelle?” she asked. Annabelle buried her face in her hands and came very close to breaking down before regaining her composure. “I feel so… _powerless_.”

Ratja went to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Do you need a Hug of Strength?” She asked without thinking.

Annabelle blinked. “A what?”

“_Oh_. I'm sorry,” she replied, slightly abashed. “The Hug of Strength is a thing we have with our son. Would you like a _regular_ hug?”

“I… um…” She swallowed. “I think I _would_ like a Hug of Strength, actually.”

Ratja smiled. “Then you shall have one.” Annabelle folded into her arms and she held her tight until Annabelle pulled away.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she mumbled as she brushed away some stray tears. Then she turned to Mausinger. “King Mausinger… I, um…”

But he smiled as he said, “Annabelle. I had to cut short our conversation earlier. So let me say that it is nice to see you again. I understood your reasons for leaving, but I was saddened when I did not hear from you again. When you were finally able to join your husband in the castle after the coup, I had looked forward to adding you to my list of friends. And I was under the impression that I _had_. Was I… mistaken?”

“No, Your Majesty. It… wasn't my intention to cut all contact with you after I left… It just… _happened_. At first I needed the time and space to come to terms with everything on top of looking after Aurelius. Then one year became another. Now it's _t__en years later_ and I _still_ haven't moved on… I'm so… _pathetic_.”

“Annabelle,” said Ratja. “You can't blame yourself for how how you feel.”

“Yes,” Mausinger agreed. “Especially when you were unable to obtain closure for what he did.”

She swallowed. “I… I suppose you're right…”

“But speaking of closure, I must… apologise; I had to deceive you earlier.”

She blinked. “What… what do you mean?”

“Vermine has not been contained. He is _dead.”_ Annabelle's eyes went as wide as saucers. “As you may recall, Dr Forester explained that they had to resuscitate Aurelius a number of times. As far as the spell is concerned the first time this happened, he died and thus it ended.”

“You mean… he won't be able to hurt Aurelius anymore?”

“No. That danger has now passed.” Annabelle sagged in relief. “And this neatly solves the problem of what to do with him,” he added wryly. “But there is more to it than just that. After he died, if what Dr Forester says is _true_, then it would seem that he absorbed enough life energy to return to life for a brief moment.”

“_What?”_ She breathed.

“I was able to ask him some questions in that moment. And this is what he told me. He feared your loyalty to me may have proved _greater_ than your love for him, and _that_ is why he never told you what he was really planning.”

“So what did he _think_ I was going to do if his plan had _worked?”_

“He assumed that no matter what happened, no matter what he _did_, you would _always_ love him.”

She had to squeeze her eyes shut to stop the tears from spilling down her face and with her throat tightening, she asked. _“What…__ what _else_ did he say?”_

“In the end, it was you and Aurelius who paid for his actions, and for that… he is sorry_.”_

Annabelle burst into tears. She sank to her knees and began to cry in earnest, and did not resist when Ratja knelt beside her and pulled her into another hug. Mausinger joined them on the floor as well to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Eventually her tears all dried up and she raised her head and pulled away from Ratja. _“What__ did you do… with his body?”_

“He is in the care of Mr Tanner, the cemetery groundskeeper. I instructed him to postpone the reburial until you were able to get in contact with him.”

“_I see… Thank you, Your Majesty.”_

“Is there anyone you would like us to call for you now?”

“_Yes…__ Please…”_ She cleared her throat. “I think… I've worked out what I'm going to say. Aurelius has been through enough without me telling my _friends_ what really happened _as well.”_

“And I quite agree. So what are you going to tell them?”

“Well. Aurelius sometimes leaves Ding Dong Dell to practice his magic without fear of accidentally hurting someone. So I'll tell them that a monster attacked him then, but he was able to make it back to Dell and warn the guards. So the monster has been taken care of.”

Mausinger hummed. “Certainly a monster attack _would_ account for the state he is in, as well as our involvement in the matter. Still I wonder if the appearance of this _other_ monster in close proximity to the one that appeared in the cemetery will arouse suspicion.”

Ratja hummed as well. “Two monsters appearing at near the same time in near the same place. That _is_ quite a coincidence.”

“I don't know what else to _say_…”

“Then I suppose they will have to accept that it _is_,” said Mausinger. “At the very least they will have no reason to doubt my word… Or so I would hope.”

“I'm sure they won't,” said Ratja. “But we'll have to tell Captain Buck as well.”

“Yes, we will,” he agreed. “Now then, Annabelle. Who would you like me to summon?”

“Cordelia… um, Finlay, and… and Harriet, please, Your Majesty.”

She gave him her CeeDlink and he called them one after the other. “Yes, hello. I am speaking on behalf of Annabelle. Aurelius has been taken to hospital and she is in need of your support. We will explain more when you arrive.” A pause. “Very good. Then we will meet you in the reception area.” He hung up and gave it back. “They are all on their way.”

“We should stay with her until they arrive,” said Ratja.

“And we shall. But after that, there is nothing more for us to do, so we will be returning home.” Mausinger stood, held out his hands and helped them both to their feet. “Now, we should return to the reception area to await your friends.”

* * *

Cordelia, a mousekind woman with light brown fur arrived first. She broke into a run when she saw Annabelle. “Annabelle!” She hugged her tightly then pulled away to grip her by the arms. “What happened? Is he all right?”

“He's… um…”

“His condition is stable,” Mausinger supplied. “But further explanation will have to wait until Mr Finlay and Miss Harriet have arrived.”

Cordelia began to mumble an apology and curtsey but Ratja smiled and said. “Please, it's all right.”

“You need not stand on ceremony in a place such as this,” Mausinger added in agreement.

Finlay, a mousekind man with dark grey fur arrived next. “Annie! Cordy!” He hastened his approach and then came screeching to halt when he registered who was standing next to them. “Y-Your Majesties, I… ah…”

They both smiled and he said. “It is quite all right, Mr Finlay. There is no call for formality here.”

“What's happened? Is Aurelius all right?”

“He is,” Cordelia assured him. “But we'll have to wait until Harry gets here before we're told any more.”

Harriet, a humanfolk woman with brown hair arrived last. “Oh _Annabelle,”_ she said once she was in range and as she hugged her. “I got here as soon as I could.”

“We all did,” said Finlay.

“Yes, and now that you are all here, Annabelle? Would you prefer for _us_ to explain?”

“Yes, please, Your Majesty.”

“Very well. Earlier this evening Aurelius left Ding Dong Dell to practice his magic as he is sometimes known to do. Unfortunately it would seem that this practice session drew some unwanted attention in the form of a particularly aggressive windwyrm.”

Her three friends winced and Cordelia murmured. “Oh _Gods_, poor Aurelius.”

“Fortunately he was able to escape and return to Ding Dong Dell where he managed to alert some of my men before he collapsed. Such an occurrence is most uncommon in this day and age, so I am sure you can understand my involvement in this matter. And you can rest assured that the windwyrm was swiftly dealt with.”

“Does the appearance of this windwyrm have anything to do with the monster in the cemetery do you think?” Finlay asked. “By that I mean, is it possible that it's luring _other monsters_ to Ding Dong Dell?”

Ratja and Mausinger exchanged looks. “It's possible,” she admitted. “But not anymore.”

“I will be announcing tomorrow that the monster in the cemetery has been taken care of and will trouble us no further.”

“That's a relief,” Harriet sighed.

“If only we could say the same for Aurelius,” Ratja sighed. “He's stable for now but he took quite a beating before he was able to escape, so they're currently holding him in the intensive care ward.”

“You mean, he could…?” Finlay asked, a worried frown on his face.

She nodded reluctantly. “I'm afraid so.”

“Oh, _Annabelle,”_ he said. Annabelle folded into his arms and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Oh you poor thing,” Harriet added as she joined in. Cordelia joined in as well turning the hug into a group hug.

Mausinger waited until they had pulled away before speaking. “Annabelle, I believe that is everything so we will now take our leave. But I would speak with Aurelius when he is well. So if you would, please bring him to the castle when he is able.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And Annabelle,” Ratja added. “Let us know if…”

“I… I will, Your Majesty.”

“Very good,” said Mausinger. “Then if all goes well – and we hope it does – we will see you both again. Until then, Annabelle. Farewell.”

“Farewell, Your Majesties.” They all curtsied, or in Finlay's case, bowed.

“And take care,” Ratja added.

“You too.”

Mausinger took her hand and they disappeared in a flash. After they'd gone Finley turned to Annabelle once more. “Annie? What do you want to do tonight? Are you going to stay here? Or would you like to stay with one of us perhaps?”

“I… I just want to go home.”

He smiled. “Then let's take you home.”

* * *

Annabelle bid her friends good night and assured them she was going to be all right before opening her front door and stepping inside. She leant back against the door and heaved a heavy sigh. It wasn't the first time she'd come home to an empty house, but it was the first time it felt so _strange_. So _wrong_. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Her _parents_ should be here. _Vermine_ should be here. But one by one they had passed away leaving her behind. And now there was a very real possibility that _Aurelius_ was going to join that list and it was a thought that was too much to bear. Until she reminded herself that there was still hope that he would live. And with that hope, she was able to move away from the door and head upstairs.

It was late enough to turn in for the night, so she got dressed for bed, and brushed and flossed her teeth but all while on autopilot. She flopped onto the mattress, pulled the covers up to her chin and tried to let sleep claim her. But it didn't come. She tossed. She turned. She lay on her back and stared blankly at the ceiling. Eventually, what seemed like hours later, her eyes drooped close and she drifted off.

* * *

“Annabelle? Annabelle?” Annabelle stirred. Someone was calling to her as they gently shook her. That voice… Who…? “_Anna_belle. Wake _up_.”

She blearily opened her eyes and blinked several times to clear the sleep from her vision.

Staring back at her was Vermine. He smiled. “Good morning, Annabelle.”

She sat bolt upright, eyes going wide. “_Vinny?_ Wh-?” But this wasn't her room. This wasn't even the_ hospital_, where… ? It took a moment for the memories to come creeping back. This was… this was the chancellor's quarters in the castle. What was she doing _here?_

“I can't _believe_ you slept through the alarm,” he said and added. “_Again_.” She vaguely recalled that she had laughed and apologised. And then she'd asked him what he'd expected, with the beds being so comfortable? But no laughter came to her now. “Sorry,” she mumbled instead. “The bed it's… comfy…”

A smirk. “So I see.” He turned away to get dressed and she watched him. After he had replaced his nightshirt with his tunic he glanced back and did a double take, surprised to find her still in bed. “_Anna_belle. You're going to be _late_ if you don't get up.”

Late for-oh work. “R-right.” She pulled off the covers and disappeared into the bathroom. She pumped water into the washbasin and splashed it on her face. But it had no effect. Which meant this was a dream as she had suspected, and none of this was real. Vermine was seated before the dressing table combing his hair when she re-emerged. She stared at him as the ghost of another memory surfaced.

_Annabelle tip-toed up behind him, grinning mischievously. He had only a moment to register her appearance in the mirror before she glomped him, burying her face in his hair. “Annabelle!” He laughed. “I'd nearly finished combing.”_

“_Then you'll just have to comb it again. Or better yet.” She pulled away and took the comb from his hand. “Let _me_ do it.”_

Instead, she wordlessly went to the wardrobe to pull out a dress, but hesitated. Which one was she supposed to wear again? She was going to breakfast so she didn't want to wear something shabby. But she was going to be doing gardening afterwards and she didn't want to ruin her nice clothes. What did she used to do? She just couldn't remember. Then she asked herself why any of it mattered, since this was all just a dream anyway.

“Is everything all right?” Vermine asked, pulling her out of her quandary. “You've been _awfully_ quiet this morning.”

“Everything's fine, Vinny. I'm just… still a little tired I suppose.”

“Would you like me to call you up some tea?”

“No… thank you. I just… I just need a little more time to wake up.”

“As you wish.”

She pulled out one of the nicer dresses and then got changed. By the time she'd finished, Vermine had moved away from the dressing table allowing her to take his place. She looked at herself in the mirror, although she couldn't say who she was expecting to see. The woman who stared back was herself as she was now, not the woman she used to be ten years ago. For some reason that seemed so strange. Maybe it was because Vermine was standing behind her and now she was and _looked_ older than him, when she used to be the younger.

In the mirror he smiled. “Annabelle? May I brush your hair?”

She swallowed. “Yes, of… of course.” She clasped her hands together in her lap and sat there in silence not knowing what to say, as he gently worked out the tangles in her hair with her hairbrush. He filled the silence by humming a tune she didn't recognise. “What… what's the song?”

“The music from the ball last week. You don't remember?”

How could she? It had been ten years ago. “I… I suppose not,” she mumbled.

His reflection frowned. “Are you _sure_ you're all right? You haven't been yourself since you woke up.”

She bit her lip and clasped her hands together tighter as she fought to keep the tears from streaming down her face. But they could not be suppressed. Nor could the sob she tried to muffle with one hand.

The hairbrush clattered to the dressing table and his hands went to her shoulders. “_Anna_belle? What_ever's_ the matter?” But she just shook her head; How could she explain to him that he was _dead? _“You don't _have_ to explain,” he said and smiled, though sadly. “I already _know_.”

She looked up at his reflection with wide watery eyes. “But… but _how?”_

“Because this is a _dream_, Annabelle. And I'm not _real.”_

Fresh tears began to spill from her eyes at those words. She turned on the stool to face him. Now that she was sitting they were near the same height, and after staring at him for a moment, she cupped his face with one hand. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on hers. “I haven't dreamed about you in so long.”

He smiled. “After everything that's happened recently, can you really say that you're _surprised?”_

“No, but… I should be _angry_ with you.”

“Then you would be angry with _yourself.” _He removed her hand. “Annabelle? Don't you think it's time you moved on?”

“… I didn't know why you'd _lied_ to me…”

“But you do _now.”_

“But it's not the _same!_ I wish… I wish you could have told me yourself.”

“That's never going to happen, Annabelle. And that kind of wishful thinking nearly got Aurelius _killed.”_ He cupped her face with both hands. _“It's time to let go.”_

She swallowed. “You make it sound easy.”

“It's not about what's _easy_. It's about what's _best.”_

A watery smile. “I suppose you're right… But I… Sometimes I wonder, what would I have done, who would I have chosen, if you _had_ told me? Maybe I could've…?”

He let his hands fall to his sides. “Could've _what_, Annabelle? Saved me from _myself?”_ She said nothing and he shook his head. “What does it matter what you may or may not have done? You were never given that choice.”

“I know. And I'm _angry_ at you for that, but… but still I… still I…” She dropped her gaze to her hands before confessing. “There will _always_ be a part of me that will miss you, Vinny.”

He smiled. “I know.” She looked up with watery eyes and he held out his arms. “Come here, Annabelle.” So she hugged him tight and buried her face into the crook of his neck as he reciprocated. When she awoke, her face was wet with tears.

* * *

The first thing Annabelle did later that morning, was phone Aurelius' school to let them know that he wouldn't be coming in for a while, and that as soon as she had a better idea of when he would be well again, she would let them know. The next thing she did was to go into work to see her boss in order to repeat the explanation as well as explain that she would consequently need to take some time off. With her request for a leave of absence granted – with her boss' condolences and hope that Aurelius would get better – she set off for the cemetery. She found Casper Tanner tending to a row of graves. “Excuse me, Mr Tanner?”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“I, um…” She found herself struggling to put her reason for being there into words. So she decided to start with her name. “I'm Annabelle. Annabelle Fielding. I'm told that you have my husband's body…”

“_Ah_. You must be Chancellor Vermine's widow. King Mausinger told me to expect you, follow me.” He lead her to a small building and after opening the door, gestured for her to go inside. Various tools lined the wall and a large desk sat to one side.

“You have your office in your tool shed?”

“Or my tool shed in my office,” he replied with a grin that fell away when she didn't smile back. “But nevermind that, you're here to arrange for your late husband's reburial, yes?”

“I came here to explain that it will have to be delayed, if… if that's all right. Aurelius – he's my son – he's in hospital at the moment and I'm sure he'll want to attend. But I'm afraid I don't know when he'll get better…”

“_Oh_, I'm sorry to hear that. But a delay is no problem. I took the liberty of putting together a new coffin; He needed a new one anyway since he broke out of his last one, but it was more to have someplace to keep him until he could be reburied.”

“Is-is that going to be all right?”

“Worry not, Mrs Fielding,” he smiled. “So long as he _stays_ in his coffin this time, I shan't mind the smell.” Off her expression he said. “I'm sorry, that was too soon wasn't it?”

She dropped her gaze and mumbled. “It's… it's not that… I'm just not in a laughing mood at the moment.”

“It's Aurelius, isn't it? I understand. Having a young'un in hospital is no easy thing I would imagine-wait hold on.” Something had just clicked in Casper's mind. “Did… did _Vermine_ put him there?”

Annabelle couldn't hide her surprise. “What makes you say that?”

“Because he was _looking_ for someone called _'Auria'. _Thought this Auria was a she at the time but you've just told me you have a son called Aurelius, so it musta been _him_ who he was looking for. And Aurelius is in _hospital?”_ Annabelle was speechless but her silence was answer enough. “That's terrible. Poor kid, I hope he gets better. And King Mausinger asked me to keep the incident to myself, and so I shall; I'll not breathe a word of it to anyone.”

Annabelle swallowed. “Thank you, Mr Tanner.”

He smiled. “Think nothing of it. But there _is_ one more thing.”

“What's that?”

“I'll need time to dig up his grave, so come back to me when you're ready, but just to forewarn you, the _actual_ reburial will be the following day.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you.”

* * *

Her next destination was the hospital. Aurelius had yet to awaken so all she did was sit by his bed and hold his hand. It was the same again the next day. But the day after that;

“Mrs Fielding,” Dr Forester smiled. “Aurelius has woken up.”

She felt something loosen in her chest. “How is he?”

“Still drained from his ordeal. But his vitals have been improving and so we've made the decision to move him out of the intensive care ward, although we'll be keeping him on a heart monitor just in case. I'll take you to him.”

He led her to a large room that held six beds, though only three of the beds were currently occupied. Aurelius was in one of the beds farthest from the door. He stirred at the touch of her hand and hauled his eyes open with what was clearly a monumental effort. Dr Forester hadn't been kidding when he'd used the word 'drained'. _“Mo… t__h__er__…?” _His neck was in a brace to prevent him from moving his head around too much and ripping out his stitches so he was only able to turn his head a fraction.

“I'm here, my little one.”

“_My neck… hurts…”_

“After what happened, I'm sure it does.”

He blinked slowly as he collected his thoughts. _“… Where's…… Father?”_

“He's… he's dead, Aurelius. He can't hurt you anymore.”

“_The spell…… It didn't…… work…”_

“No, sweetie, it didn't. It only would've worked if Vinny had been able to drain _all_ of your blood.”

Aurelius shut his eyes tightly and tears rolled down his cheeks. _“He…… _attacked_ me…… Mother…… wh…… _why?”

Annabelle squeezed his hand. “Oh sweetie, that wasn't your father. At least, not while the spell was incomplete. He was driven by the compulsion to see it through, _that's_ why he attacked you.”

The anguish leaked out of his expression._ “Wasn't…… him?”_

“No, sweetie, it wasn't. Vinny would _never_ hurt you.”

Aurelius' eyes slid closed again. _“He's…… gone…… then…… isn't he……? Gone…… for good.”_

“Yes. He is. I know it hurts to lose someone you love, but _death_ is a part of _life_, Aurelius. There's no magic in the world that can change _that.”_

“_I… I know…… But I…… I really thought…… that it would _work_…”_

“And you nearly _died_. Your father never told me what he was really planning and it got him _killed_. And I nearly lost _you_ in the same way as _well.”_

Tears began to roll down his cheeks once more. _“I’m……_ _sorry…… I just…… wanted…… to see him…… again…”_

“Oh _sweetheart_. Promise me you'll never try something like that again.”

“_I…… promise…”_

After that he spent the rest of the day drifting in and out of a light sleep and had little energy for conversation, or even to listen to her read aloud to him after she had brought a book he had been reading from home. And he had no strength to lift his arms to eat his meals, so she helped him. “Do you want me to sing you to sleep?” She asked as visiting hours drew to a close.

“_Yes… please…”_

So she sang him a lullaby as she stroked his hair and he closed his eyes and drifted off. Annabelle stood quietly and kissed his forehead. “Sleep tight, little one.” And then she was gone.

* * *

Aurelius opened his eyes. The lights were off so the only illumination the room had was from the moonlight pouring in through the window. His head flopped to his right and he was mildly surprised to find the other beds were empty. Hadn't there been other people in the room with him? Where had they gone? The next thing he noticed was that all the tubes and wires attached to his body were missing as well. Even his neck brace was gone. What was going on?

Aurelius lay there for a moment puzzling things over, until he decided that he should probably investigate. So he threw off the covers and sat up. He was still in his hospital gown and he briefly wondered if he should find his clothes and get dressed. But he dismissed the thought immediately. After all what would be the point of getting changed, when he was going to go straight back to bed after he had solved the mystery he had awoken to? He swung his legs over the edge and braced himself for the shock of the cold floor against his bare feet. But it didn't come. Just as he was about to reach the door, from behind him he heard. _“Auuurr….eeeee…..u_ _hhhh_ _?”_

Aurelius froze as a sickening terror crashed through him. No, gods, please, no. He turned, slowly, unwillingly, to behold a sight he had never wanted to see again; His father's corpse, reanimated once more. Vermine's jaw hung open. _“Auuurr….eeeee…..u_ _hhhh_ _?”_

“_No…_” This _couldn't_ be happening.

Vermine took a step forward. Aurelius _screamed_ and bolted through the doors. “Mamá! Ma _má!”_ He called, as if _she_ could do anything. He ran through corridor after corridor, past room after room, every one of them empty. H e had no time to p onder where everyone had gone, for each time he glanced back over his shoulder, Vermine was always right behind him. As he ran he began to realis e that he was all alone in the hospital. And that meant there was no one to help him, no one there to _save_ him.

Tears streamed down his face and terror gripped his heart and throat so violently that he wanted to throw up, but to stop and do so would mean death. So he kept running. He burst through another set of doors and suddenly he was back in the cemetery. No, gods, please, not here! Not again! He was now dressed in his own clothes and his wand was in his hand. _“Auuurr….eeeee…..u__hhhh__?” _Aurelius spun, calling forth a fireball spell on the tip of his wand as he did and lobbed it at Vermine with as much force as he could muster. It harmlessly washed over him just like it had last time. _“Auuurr….eeeee…..u__hhhh__?”_ He took a step forward and Aurelius stepped back.

“No, Father _please_, it's _me_,” he begged. “It's _me!_ _Aurelius!_ Your _son!_” But his words fell on deaf ears, just as they had before. Vermine took another step forward and Aurelius was running again. Last time Mausinger and a group of soldiers had been advancing towards the cemetery at this point, maybe they would be again? Spurred on by this thought, he ran faster. He made it to the gates this time only to discover that they were _locked_. He raised-_his wand!_ _No!_ Where had it _gone?!_ _“_No_, no, NO!” _He shook the gates, becoming hysterical. “LET ME OUT! _LET ME OUT!”_

“_Auuurr….eeeee…..u_hhhh?”

“KING MAUSINGER! _KING_ _MAUSINGER!”_ But there was no sign of Mausinger or anyone else approaching the cemetery. “… Someone _please_…” He sobbed. Then hands seized him from behind and he screamed. Suddenly he was back in the hospital, breathing hard and drenched in sweat. Nurses crowded his bed, their concerned faces blurred by tears; They had been alerted by his accelerated heart rate and had come to check on him. “It's all right, Aurelius,” one soothed. “It was just a nightmare. You're safe now.”

Aurelius' stomach clenched and he lurched onto his side and vomited. Hands massaged his back as he heaved. When he was done, they wiped his nose and helped him sip some water so he could wash out his mouth and throat. He lay back and hot tears began to roll down his cheeks. _“Wh… w… where's Mother?”_

“Your mother's not here, Aurelius. She went home hours ago.” He blinked. Right, of course. So what was he to do now? Going back to sleep after _that_ awful nightmare was the _last_ thing on his mind. “Are you going to be all right now?”

He mumbled something so quietly that she had to ask him to repeat himself. _“I don't want to be alone…”_

“You're not alone, Aurelius,” she replied with a smile. “GeoffreyandLenora are here too.” He looked around. They were both awake and both were staring at him, their expressions carefully schooled into something he couldn't read. “And we're always a button press away.”

“… _O-okay…”_

“All right now?” He nodded. “Get some sleep if you can. Good night now, everyone.” The nurses left the room and the lights went out.

“Gods _above_, that was some nightmare you had,” Geoffrey spoke as soon as the doors had swung closed. “You were screaming loud enough to wake the _dead_. I thought you were being _murdered!”_

Aurelius could only swallow, having neither the words nor the will to articulate how close to home he'd just hit. And not once but _twice!_ _“… Sorry...” _He mumbled._ “I didn't mean to wake you.”_

“Well that's all right. Can't be helped I suppose. Now why don't we all see if we can get some sleep this night.” Silence descended upon the room. Slowly, reluctantly, eventually, Aurelius' eyelids grew heavy and they slid closed.


	6. Chapter 5: A Road to Recovery

A week later:

Dr Forester was waiting for her when she visited the hospital that day. “Mrs Fielding.”

“Dr Forester? Is something wrong?”

“Aurelius has been having recurring nightmares for the past week. After the ordeal he went through it is hardly a _surprise_, but needless to say it's beginning to impact the amount of sleep he's getting, which at this stage is something that he needs a lot of.”

“Is there anything you can do?”

“We would like to give him some medication that will suppress his ability to dream. But I need to add that this is only a temporary solution and will _not_ address the root cause of his nightmare.”

“No…” She agreed. “I know…”

“We haven't discussed this with Aurelius yet as we wanted to run it by you first. Is this something you would be agreeable to?”

“If Aurelius wants to, then yes.”

“Very good. I'll come round before visiting hours end to discuss it further with the both of you. That way I can administer the first dose if you both agree.”

“Thank you, Dr Forester.” She headed into the ward to see Aurelius. He was staring blankly out of the window. Bags were starting to appear under his eyes, and from a lack of adequate sleep on top of his already low pool of energy, he looked even _more_ exhausted than he had previously. She smiled regardless. “Hello, sweetie.” Now that the stitches had taken, they had removed his neck brace. He turned his head at the sound of her voice but did not smile as she sat down. “Dr Forester tells me you've been having nightmares lately. Do you… do you want to talk about it?” He shook his head and she sighed. “I understand. He wants to give you some medicine that will suppress your dreams to help you sleep. Would you like that?”

“_Do you… do you think… it will help?”_

“Yes, I think it will.”

“_Okay… then… I guess… I'll try it.”_

“He's going to come around at the end of the day to discuss it with us further.”

“_Okay…” _Throughout the day everytime he began to drift off, he would jerk awake. Shortly before visiting hours were due to end, Dr Forester appeared as promised. He talked them through how the medicine would affect Aurelius including any possible side effects and answered their questions. Annabelle thought the benefit outweighed the risks and Aurelius deferred to her assessment so Dr Forester administered the first dose. After he'd left and just as Annabelle was about to leave, Aurelius spoke again. _“… Mother?”_

“Yes, sweetie?”

“_Can I have… Mr Munchkin…?”_

She smiled warmly. “Of course you can, sweetheart. I'll bring him for you tomorrow.”

“… _Thank you.”_

Annabelle brought Mr Munchkin the following morning as promised. Aurelius was sound asleep when she arrived, so she quietly tucked the whamster plushie into bed with him and he slept through the rest of the day.

* * *

Another week later:

“The wound on his neck is healing nicely, as well as the ones on his hand. And since we've started suppressing his ability to dream, he hasn't had another nightmare which has enabled him to get some sleep. And he has been sleeping a lot as I'm sure you're aware, but despite this his energy _is_ returning as well as his strength and with the way things are going, we predict that we will be able to release him from hospital in a fortnight if not sooner.”

“That's _wonderful_ news.”

“Yes, although we cannot say what kind of long term affect the incident will have on him right at this moment, so we will have another talk with you then when we hope to have a better idea.”

“I see. Thank you, Dr Forester.” She headed into the ward to see Aurelius. He was staring out of the window lost in thought but turned his head and smiled weakly when she sat down. The bags were gone from under his eyes and his fur was looking a lot brighter and healthier. And that was to say nothing of his mood which had improved since going on the medication. Although not as much as she had hoped. “Hello, Mother.”

She smiled back warmly. “Hello, sweetie. I spoke with Dr Forester again. He thinks you'll be able to leave the hospital in a couple of weeks.”

He blinked. “That soon? How long has it been already?”

“Just over a couple of weeks. But it probably feels like a lot less considering you slept most of it away.”

“… I've been very tired.”

She chuckled. “So I'd noticed. How are you feeling now?”

“I don't know… I don't have to worry about the nightmares but… I still think about what happened…”

She squeezed his hand. “I'm sure you do.”

“… Mother?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Did… Did Father keep a journal by any chance?”

“He did, but… Once he got his hands on a Leafbook, he typed up everything he'd ever written and then burned the physical copies. Unfortunately his Leafbook is password protected and he never told me what it was, and… I never asked. It's a shame because there are pictures on there that I want to see again.”

“He password protected it? From… _you?”_

“Not from me, from _prying eyes_. The maidservants have access to most rooms of the castle including the chancellor's quarters. He was probably worried about the possibility of one them going through his Leafbook when he didn't have it on him.”

“Oh… And… you've no idea what it could be?”

“I've tried everything I could think of, Aurelius. Names, dates, nothing's worked.” Aurelius sighed. “Why do you ask?”

“I just… wanted to know more about him…”

“I can answer some questions if you have any.”

“I know, but… I wanted to read it in his own words. You can only tell me what you know, right?”

“I suppose that's true. But there is no better alternative, sweetie. Unless you can figure out the password that is.”

Aurelius replied glumly. “If _you_ couldn't work it out, there's no way _I_ could.”

“What did you want to know?”

“I don't know. Everything?”

“Anything in particular?”

“I. Uh… I can't think of anything to ask… at least not right now… Maybe… um, maybe later?”

“Well, whenever you're ready, I'm here.”

“Okay…” He lapsed into silence. Then he spoke again. “Mother?”

She smiled. “Yes, sweetie?”

“Can I have… my letters?”

“Your letters?”

“The ones Father used to write to us when we weren't living in the castle with him.”

“Do you want them right now?”

“Yes… please.”

“All right.” She stood up. “Where do you keep them?”

“In a box on one of the shelves in my room.”

“I'll be right back, then.”

* * *

Annabelle found the letters where he said they'd be. She pulled the box down off the shelf and opened it out of curiosity. The letters had been carefully unfolded and flattened before being stored away and she immediately recognised Vermine's handwriting. She had forgotten how neat it was. She picked up the topmost letter and began to read.

_To my dearest, most beloved son, Aurelius,_

_I have greatly enjoyed our correspondence over the years as I have enjoyed watching your writing improve. It really has come along since the first letter you ever wrote to me and it is almost hard to believe that first letter was written by the same person as the one writing to me now._

_But this will be the last letter I will ever have need to write to you, Aurelius. When next we meet, I will be escorting you and your mother to your new residence in the castle._

_The day when we will all finally be together again is nearly upon us. It is a day I have long awaited, and one that is long overdue._

_Until that day arrives, have patience. We will see each other again sooner than you think._

_With love,_

_Your father, Chancellor V. Vermine_

A smile tugged at her lips after she had finished reading. Annabelle remembered helping Aurelius to read the letter and how he'd reacted; He'd been over the moon and every morning until the day Vermine arrived, the first question out of his mouth was _“Is Father coming today, Mother?”_

She put the letter back and replaced the lid. On her way out, the painting in the hallway caught her eye and she paused to stare at it. She raised a hand and carefully touched Vermine's painted face, and a thought crept into her mind as she did. What would she have done if the spell had been _completed?_ She snatched her hand back as she crushed that thought; She couldn't think about such things. Then she pulled on her shawl and bonnet, tucked the box under her arm and was out the door without a backward glance.

* * *

“Here you are, sweetie.”

“Thank you, Mother.” He struggled to pull the lid off, a stark reminder of how much he had yet to heal. “Mother… could you…?” She pulled the lid off the box and gave it back. “Thanks.” He removed the entire stack of letters from the box and began to read through them in chronological order. Annabelle pulled out a book she had picked up for herself and let it absorb her attention. She looked up when she heard him putting the letters away. He put the box to one side and stared out of the window. “Is everything all right, sweetie?”

He hung his head and didn't answer immediately. “Mother… I don't… I don't _remember_ him…”

“It was a long time ago, Aurelius-”

“No, I remembered _something_. I used to have vague memories of him, now I don't remember him at _all_. Everytime I try… try to think back, the only thing I remember is that _awful night_.”

She squeezed his hand. “Oh sweetie. It's no surprise that you still think about what happened, it's only been _ two weeks _. It's not something you'll forget so easily.”

“But… I thought reading his letters would help… But it didn't.”

“They'll come back in time, Aurelius. But you have to _give_ yourself that time to heal.”

He didn't look convinced but said, “O-okay… If you say so…”

She smiled as she squeezed his hand again. “Is there anything else you want me to get you?”

“No. Thanks. I haven't finished reading the last book you brought me yet, so I don't need anything else.”

“Do you want me to read it to you?”

“No, that's all right. I can read it myself.”

“Shall we sit together and read, then?”

He smiled. “Okay.” And so they did.

* * *

Annabelle checked her watch. Visiting hours were nearly over. She put the book down and sighed prompting Aurelius to look up from his own book. “Is it time for you to go?”

“It's nearly time, yes. But…”

He blinked. “But what?”

“I've been thinking… Now that you're on the mend, I… I should probably get back to work.”

“Hmm… You probably should,” he agreed.

“But that means you'll be on your own until work is over…”

“I guess I can manage… It's just sitting here after all.”

“Are you sure, sweetie?”

“Well… _no_ but… um… I don't want you to lose your _job_…”

“My boss is a good man, Aurelius. He'd probably give me another week if I asked.” Aurelius said nothing. “Or I can go back to work and bring you lots of books to read or music to listen to, so you'll have something to do while I'm not here?”

“… Okay…”

“Then tell me what you want and I'll bring it for you tomorrow.”

“… I don't mind. Bring me anything.”

“All right.” She put the book away and stood up. “I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie. If not the morning, then the afternoon.”

“Okay. Um. See you tomorrow.”

“Two more weeks, Aurelius. Then you can come _home_.”

“… You really think I'll be ready by then?”

“Dr Forester seemed to think so.”

“Okay…”

She planted a kiss on his forehead. “Good night, sweetie.”

“Good night, Mother.” Annabelle left and Aurelius settled in for another reading session before calling it a day.

* * *

Two weeks later:

Annabelle headed into the hospital with great enthusiasm for once as this was the day Aurelius was to be discharged. She had arranged to work a half day in order to leave early so she could pick him up, but had found it difficult to concentrate in her excitement. She wasn't surprised to find Dr Forester waiting for her when she arrived. He smiled. “Mrs Fielding. I believe this will be the last time we'll see each other.”

“Yes, it will. Is it wrong to be _happy_ about that?”

He chuckled. “Not at all! Now if you'll follow me, Aurelius should be ready for us.” He lead her to one of the consultation rooms. Aurelius was waiting for her patiently, having showered, and dressing in the clothes she had brought for him the day before. He was also in the company of a humanfolk nurse with blonde hair. He stood when Dr Forester opened the door. “Hello, Mother.”

“Hello, sweetie.” Annabelle hugged him tightly and he reciprocated. When he pulled away, she planted a giant kiss on his forehead. “Are you ready to go home?”

His expression dipped and he dropped his gaze. “… I guess…”

“Mrs Fielding, this is Sister Mills. She will be handling Aurelius' discharge.” He paused to allow them to exchange greetings and took a seat. “Now, I would like to stress that although Aurelius is now fit to leave our care – or perhaps it would be best to say that there is no more that we can do for him – he is far from healed. His energy level is below what a fit and healthy seventeen year old would normally be expected to have – and what he likely had previously – so you will both find that he will tire more easily than he used to. His recovery has halted in this regard, which suggests that he has reached the point where it will recover on it's own. So I would recommend that you find a fitness instructor that will help him with exercises for improving his stamina, although… Unfortunately I cannot say if this will be effective, Aurelius. It _is_ quite possible that your energy levels will _never_ return to normal no matter _what_ you do.”

Aurelius dropped his gaze. “… Oh.”

“But that doesn't mean you shouldn't _try_. It just means that, well… you _may_ have to come to terms with the fact that a reduced pool of energy, will mean there are things that you once did, and once enjoyed, that you no longer _can_. Or will change _how_. Do you understand?”

“… Sure.” Annabelle squeezed his hand.

“You must be gentle with yourself, Aurelius,” Dr Forester added. “And not push yourself beyond what you are capable of doing.” He pulled out a card. “This is the name and contact details of a support group who have a similar condition but for different reasons. They will be able to help you with acceptance, as well as give advice on how to cope with daily life should you need it.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” said Annabelle. She took the card and tucked it away into her purse.

“Now in regards to the medication to suppress your ability to dream, Aurelius. As you are now being released from our care, we will not be continuing this treatment.”

“What?!” He exclaimed. “But that means…”

“That the nightmares are likely to return, yes. Now I can prescribe you a week's worth of sleeping pills in order to help you sleep, if you would like. But this will _not_ address the root cause of your nightmares. For _that_ I would recommend seeking out a therapist, though you do not need a referral to see one, you _may_ find it helpful to discuss your options with your family doctor.”

“What kind of sleeping pills?” Annabelle asked.

So he explained the sleeping pills he wanted to prescribe and talked them through the side effects. “Is this something you would like, Aurelius?”

Aurelius looked to Annabelle. “I suppose a prescription can't hurt,” she said. “But perhaps we'll wait to see if you need it.”

“Sounds good,” said Dr Forester. “The prescription will be valid for six months, so you have plenty of time to think it over.” He issued and signed the prescription and Annabelle tucked it away into her purse. “Do you have any further questions?”

They exchanged looks. “No,” he said. “Or… if I do, I can just talk to my doctor, can't I?”

“Yes, that's right. Well then. I wish you both the best. And Aurelius? It's always a good day when a patient is being discharged, so don't take this the wrong way, but I'll be _very_ glad to see the back of you.”

Aurelius smiled weakly. “Yes, and… um… thank you… for taking care of me.”

“You're quite welcome, Aurelius.”

“I want to thank you as well,” said Annabelle. “So I brought a gift for you, and all the nurses as well.”

“Oh! That's very kind of you, Mrs Fielding. Leave it with the reception desk, and they will be certain to distribute it.”

After he had left, Sister Mills turned to Aurelius. “Have you got everything, Aurelius?”

“I think so.” He checked his bag. “At least everything seems to be here.”

“Then let's get you discharged.”

* * *

On the walk back to their house they had to pause for a rest about half way, and then he collapsed onto the sofa after they'd stepped through the front door.

“That was… quite a work out…” He panted. Annabelle sat beside him and tried not to feel mildly horrified by how out of breath a simple walk had made him. “Dr Forester… wasn't kidding…” He added.

No he wasn't, Annabelle thought. And this meant that she was going to need to have a conversation with her boss in the very near future. “Aurelius…?”

“Yes?”

“I was… I wanted to let you settle in first but… I suppose we'll need to talk about you going back to school.”

“It would be nice… to see my friends again, _outside_ the hospital that is. But, um… I don't think I could go back… not… not right away at least.”

“I was going to say that it might be best if you went back _next_ year.”

Aurelius looked to her with surprise. “You… you really think so?”

“You nearly _died_, Aurelius. And you're _still_ not well. Do you really want to be dealing with that _on top_ of school work? You're _already_ a month behind.”

“I didn't. I was just surprised that you suggested it so… readily…”

“Well… it was something I'd already thought about, and it just seemed to make the most sense. I suppose in a way it's fortunate this happened so early in the year, because it will give you less to repeat _next_ year.”

“Right...” He mumbled. “Fortunate…”

“I'm sorry,” she sad, squeezing his hand. “Perhaps I shouldn't have put it quite like that.”

“It's all right, I know what you meant.”

She stood up. “I'll phone the school then and let them know you're out of hospital. They'll probably want you to come in and have a talk about what you want to do. So, when would you like to do that?”

“Ummm. Good question.”

“Or… perhaps we should wait? I'm going to need to have a talk with my boss about what I'm going to do with work after all. Actually… maybe I should do that now.” She stepped out into the hallway, pulling out her CeeDlink. After a brief conversation she reappeared. “He wants me to come in to see him.”

“Okay.”

“Are you going to be all right on your own till I get back, sweetie?”

“Sure. I'll have the telly keep me company.”

She smiled. “All right. I'll be right back then.”

Aurelius waited until after she'd left before standing and wandering out into the hallway. He stared at the painting on the wall until the tears building in his eyes began to stream down his face. “I just wanted to see you again… Now I don't remember you at _all_… I messed up… and I don't know how to fix it.” He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. “This wasn't supposed to _happen_.”

* * *

When Annabelle got back, the telly was on and Aurelius was sitting on the sofa cuddling Mr Munchkin. “How did it go?” He asked as she sat down.

“He's let me move to a part time contract so I can take care of you. But that won't start until next week. I'll have to make you some sandwiches for lunch tomorrow… or maybe I can make soup for dinner tonight and you can heat up the leftovers when you're hungry?”

“Soup sounds good.”

She smiled. “I'll make soup then.”

“Mother, what, um… what happened to Father's body?”

“That's another thing that will have to wait till next week. I thought you'd want to attend his reburial so I asked Mr Tanner to postpone. But he'll need time to dig up the grave.”

“So we wouldn't be able to go today?”

“I'm afraid not. Oh, and King Mausinger wants to see you as well.”

“He… he does?”

“Yes, he does. I think he wants to know where you found the spell.”

“Oh…” Well that was understandable. “When… when does he want to see me?”

“He said as soon as you were able, but I'd imagine I'd have to let him know ahead of time when you were coming. We wouldn't be able to just show up.”

“So that's going to have to wait till next week as well.”

“Yes,” she said. “And we have to find you a fitness instructor. _And_ make an appointment with Dr Woodes.” She sighed and ran both hands through her hair. “There's so much to _do_.”

“I'm sorry,” he mumbled. Then fresh tears were spilling from his eyes once more. “I'm _sorry_. I messed everything up…”

“Oh, sweetheart.” She gathered him in her arms and he clung to her and sobbed into her shoulder. “It's all right, Aurelius. It's all right. Everything will be all right.”

* * *

By dinner time he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open and nearly nodded off into his soup on more than one occasion. But he managed to stay awake long enough to finish eating, get dressed for bed and brush his teeth before crawling under the covers.

“Mother?” He asked sleepily as she tucked him in. “Is it all right… if I invite friends over tomorrow…? After they've finished their classes?”

“Of course you can, sweetheart. Now get some rest.” She planted a kiss on his forehead and by the time she'd pulled away, he was already fast asleep. “Good night, little one.”

A few hours later she decided to call it a night herself. All was quiet in the house as she drifted off. Sometime later she was wrested from sleep by the sound of screaming. She raised her head, momentarily disorientated from having been awoken at such an early hour.

“GO AWAY! GO AWAY!” Aurelius was shrieking from his room. Annabelle snapped out of it, ripped off the covers, wrenched open her door and then Aurelius'. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” He howled before she could reach his side. She gripped his shoulders and shook him. “Aurelius! _Aurelius!_ Wake _up!”_ His eyes flew open. “It's all right, sweetie-”

But he took one look at her, screamed again and thrashed out of her grasp. “GET OFF ME!”

“Aurelius it's _me!”_ Even after switching on his bedside lamp, he _still_ didn't recognise her; It took him a good five minutes to calm down before he realised where he was. He sat up slowly and hugged his knees. “Sweetie, what happened?”

“He was… in the house… He came out of the _painting_… And then he chased me upstairs to my room. I thought I could get away with a Travel spell, but… I ended up Travelling to the cemetery. And I guess I must've taken him with me, because when I turned around he was standing right there. He won't leave me _alone_, Mother.”

“Where was-?”

“I don't _know_ where you where, you were _gone_, you _left_ me!”

“Aurelius, I'd _never_-”

“Everyone _always_ leaves me! And King Mausinger never shows up _either_, I'm _always_ alone! It's always _just me!_ And no matter what I _do_, no matter how hard I _try_… he _always_ gets me.” He buried his face into his knees and began to cry. “I don't know what to _do_, Mother.”

Annabelle felt tears pricking her eyes and she swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat; _She_ didn't know what to do _either_. “Come here, Aurelius.” He shuffled over and sank into her arms. After a moment of simply holding him, she asked. “Do you want me to sing you to sleep?”

“I don't want to sleep,” he mumbled in reply.

She sighed. “I know. Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

At that he pulled away and hugged his knees again. “No… um… that's all right. You have work tomorrow. And company doesn't help anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. Go back to sleep, Mother. I'm sorry I woke you.”

“What are _you_ going to do?”

“I'll read or book or something.”

“All night?”

“I guess.”

She sighed. “Aurelius…” Then a thought struck her. “You know, I suppose there's no reason you couldn't make an appointment to see Dr Woodes _yourself_. It would just be getting there and back that would be the problem.”

“I don't think I could do that,” he mumbled.

“I didn't think so,” she sighed. “So that will have to wait till next week as well.”

“What about the sleeping pills? You said to wait to see if I needed them. Well I _do_.”

“I suppose you do… I'll get them for you after work, then. Is that all right?” He nodded. She planted a kiss on his cheek. “Good night then, sweetie.”

“Good night, Mother.”

“Try to get some sleep if you can.”

“Okay.” She shut the door behind her and Aurelius picked up a book and began to read. Eventually his eyelids grew heavy and were on the verge of sliding closed despite his best efforts, when his CeeDlink announced that he had just received a text message. Who was texting him at this hour? He got out of bed and hunted it down.

**Conductor**

Hello there, I am the Conductor.

It has come to my attention that you seem to be having some trouble with a nightmare or two.

I must apologise for taking so long to notice, but I can help you deal with them if would like my help.

Aurelius frowned. He had heard of the Conductor but had never been entirely convinced that he was actually real.

**Aurelius Fielding**

How do you know I'm having nightmares?

And how did you get my number?

**Conductor**

It is quite simple, Aurelius. Your heart has become deeply troubled of late, has it not?

Something terrible happened to you and it has left it's mark. Now your heart is filled with pain and fear.

You are afraid – still – of what happened, and it haunts your dreams. That is how I know.

And so I reached out to you, and lo! You responded!

But you need not be afraid any longer, Aurelius! I can help you deal with your nightmares by taking you to a place where you can – quite literally – face your fears by facing your nightmares in direct combat.

**Aurelius Fielding**

My nightmare doesn't die…

**Conductor**

Then I can help you find a way to kill it!

**Aurelius Fielding**

How?

**Conductor**

Come to the New Moon Rooms in Evermore, and I will explain more.

**Aurelius Fielding**

You really think you can help me?

**Conductor**

I do!

**Aurelius Fielding**

But what if you can't?

**Conductor**

Then at least we can say we tried!

**Aurelius Fielding**

And how do I know you're for real?

**Conductor**

Hoo hoo! There are plenty who will vouch for me, Aurelius.

Among those people is King Evan of Evermore himself.

**Aurelius Fielding**

What about King Mausinger of Ding Dong Dell?

**Conductor**

I would certainly hope so!

So if or when you have your assurances – and if you wish to take me up on my offer – simply pop over to the New Moon Rooms at your earliest convenience.

It will not be necessary to inform me ahead of time, but you can do so if you wish!

I look forward to meeting you, Aurelius, as well as helping you.

Otherwise, I wish you well.

* * *

Later that morning there was a soft knock on his door. “Come in?”

Annabelle entered. “Morning, sweetie. I just came to check on you. Are you still up, or did you manage to get some sleep last night?”

“I got some sleep, just not very much.”

“I see. I suppose you can always get some more sleep during the day if you need it. Were you still planning on inviting your friends over today?”

Aurelius hung his head. “Um, m-maybe not…”

Annabelle sat down on the bed next to him and squeezed his hand. “That's all right, sweetie. Maybe you should give yourself some time to settle in before seeing them again?”

“Yeah. Okay.” He glanced at his CeeDlink. “By the way, the Conductor texted me last night. Or, uh… earlier this morning I guess.”

“The who?”

“The Conductor. He said he can help me with my nightmares.”

Annabelle looked sceptical. “Oh? And how does he think he can do that?”

“He says he can take me to a place where I can face my father… Uh. _Nightmare_ in direct combat.”

“Is that so? And where would this place be exactly?”

“The Dream World I think, or at least that's what I've heard. But to get there we'd have to go to the New Moon Rooms in Evermore.”

“_Will _we now?”

“He also said that King Mausinger will vouch for him.”

“_Oh_… Did he really?… Well… we _are_ going to see King Mausinger next week… I suppose we could ask him then.”

“I suppose…”

“Although I _do_ have to write him a letter forewarning him of our coming, so I _could_ ask him then _instead_. And if King Mausinger says he's for real, then we'll go to see the Conductor in Evermore.”

“What… what if he can't help me?”

“If he can't help you, then we'll look for someone who _can_. But there's no harm in _trying_ first.”

“But… but what if… what if it's because… because I'm… because I'm not good enough…”

“Aurelius. You won't find that out unless you _try_. And if it turns out to be true, then… we'll have to find something that you _are_ good enough for.”

“O… Okay.”

“Now I have to get ready for work. Do you want me to make you some breakfast while I make mine?”

“Yes please.”

“All right.” She kissed his forehead. “I'll call you down when it's ready then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: I ended up having to split this chapter in two so the real author's note will be appearing in the following chapter.**


	7. Chapter 6: A Visitation

The day after Annabelle sent out the letter, she received an official looking envelope in the post. “Do you think this is from King Mausinger?” Aurelius asked as he gave it to her.

“It is, I recognise his handwriting.” She smiled. “I'd forgotten how elegant it was.” She opened it up and began to read.

_Dear Annabelle,_

_I was delighted to receive your letter and we are very pleased to hear that Aurelius has been discharged from the hospital since we saw you last. We look forward to meeting you both again and I can arrange a meeting in my study instead of the throne room if you would prefer; The seating there is far more comfortable and I can have refreshments served up if you would like. Or perhaps I could arrange for one of the palace mages to escort you to the castle?_

_Simply respond to this letter with your desired arrangement and the date and time most preferable to you._

_As to the matter of the Conductor, I have yet to meet him myself but Evan assures me he is very real. So if he says that he can help Aurelius then there would not appear to be any cause to doubt his word._

_I hope you find this helpful and look forward to meeting you again soon._

_Warm regards,_

_King Otto Mausinger._

“Well… It seems as if this Conductor person was telling the truth after all. So it looks like we're going to Evermore.”

“When?”

“Let me phone them up and find out.” When she got off her CeeDlink, she said. “I booked us for a single night in a couple of days time. That way we can see how you get on, and if all goes well, we'll see about staying some more.”

“Okay. What about King Mausinger?”

“I _would_ like to take him up on his offer of meeting in his study, but I'm afraid of seeming too… presumptuous? So perhaps it would be better to ask for the mage. It will save you the walk to castle.”

Aurelius shrugged. “If you think it best.”

“All right. I'll send him our reply then.”

* * *

Two days later:

Annabelle pulled on her bonnet and shawl and turned to her son. “Are you ready to go, Aurelius?”

“I guess…”

She picked up their luggage which consisted of a single, small suitcase. “Let's head off then.” She locked the front door behind them and they set off for the airship station outside Ding Dong Dell. Aurelius clung to her arm at first when they lifted off but spent the rest of the journey glued to the window. By the time they arrived at the kingdom of Evermore, evening was setting in and the walk to the New Moon Rooms was done in the light of the setting sun, although there was enough light for them both to gawk at a kingdom that was different yet so familiar at the same time. Finally they arrived at their destination. The receptionist greeted them warmly and showed them to their shared room. And with all the excitement and travelling of the day taking its toll, Aurelius sank onto his chosen bed utterly exhausted. “Are you ready for bed?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Get dressed then. I'll wait my turn.”

Aurelius gathered up his nightclothes and toothbrush and headed out of the room to the communal bathroom located at the end of the corridor. He flopped onto the mattress upon his return and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

Annabelle smiled fondly, pulled the covers up to his chin and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Goodnight, little one.”

* * *

Aurelius opened his eyes and sat up to find himself lying in a seemingly endless field, but he was not alone. Annabelle was waking up next to him. “Where are we?” She asked.

“I think we're in the Dream World.” He looked around but could see no other discernible feature or landmark apart from a single house. “Looks like we'll have to go to that house.” He got to his feet and helped Annabelle to hers.

“What a strange little place,” she commented. When they reached the door, they exchanged looks and he knocked.

“Come in, come in!” A voice called from the inside and they entered cautiously. A tall and lanky man dressed in a suit with a comically oversized bowtie and rabbit head was waiting for them. “You must be Aurelius. But who is this?”

“This is my mother, Annabelle Fielding.”

“What a pleasure to meet you, Annabelle!” He bowed.

“Oh!” She smiled. “What a gentleman.” And curtsied in return.

“And you, Aurelius.” He held out a hand. Aurelius looked surprised and confused before shaking it. “It is a pleasure to meet-oh!” The Conductor released his hand. “Oh dear! Oh _dear_, oh dear! Oh, _Aurelius_, this simply won't _do!”_

Aurelius blinked. “What? What _is_ it? _What_ won't do?”

“Why, a portion of your _lifeforce_, Aurelius – indeed your _very soul – _is_ missing! _It is completely absent!”

“It _is?”_ Annabelle gasped as Aurelius clutched his chest and frowned.

“And it has left you without your confidence, hasn't it?”

He hung his head and Annabelle touched his shoulder. “Is there anything that can be done?” She asked.

“Such a grievous wound is not so easily recovered from. At least not without _help_.”

“What _kind_ of help?”

“It is a simple enough matter for me to do, but you will need to find and bring to me someone with an abundance of confidence. I will then take a portion of that confidence – if they permit – and give it to Aurelius.”

“Where would we find such a person?”

“Where indeed? I would imagine that running a nation requires a _great_ _deal_ of confidence.”

Annabelle went wide eyed in realisation. “King Mausinger.”

“You really think he'd help us… help _me?”_ Aurelius mumbled. “He's already done so much…”

“Aurelius. You know the kind of man he is, of _course_ he'll help us.”

“But I… But I'm…”

She cupped his face with both hands. “Oh _sweetie_. It _kills_ me to see you like this. I'd give you _mine_ if I could.” She stopped and went wide eyed. “Wait. Why _can't_ I?”

“You have confidence, yes, but not in abundance,” the Conductor replied. “If I were to take your confidence it would be taking more than you can give, and so you would in turn lose confidence yourself.”

“So we'd be back to square one.”

“Precisely. But someone with an abundance of confidence has confidence to _spare_.”

“I see. Then we'll ask King Mausinger if he'll spare some of his.”

“Splendid! Bring him here to the New Moon Rooms when you have his secured his consent. But tell me, _how_ did this happen? Such an infliction is… _highly_ unusual, needless to say.”

Annabelle looked to her son and he dropped his gaze. “He tried to bring his father back to life with a Blood Revival Spell.”

The Conductor folded his arms. “I see…”

“You've heard of it then.”

“I have.”

“I've been told that it's a spell that can raise the dead but at a price.”

“It is indeed. But what _isn't_ so well known is _why_. The spell revives a person's memories. The memories that reside within their body, indeed within their very _bones_. Unfortunately such memories can _only_ be awoken with life energy, with a _soul_. And so the Reawoken in truth drains a person's soul through the medium of blood.”

“Gods, _that's_ why!”

“Yes, _that_ is why a piece of Aurelius' soul is missing. As well as why he has yet to fully recover from the ordeal.”

“So… _that's_ what the spell does?” Aurelius asked.

“It is, but if I may ask, what had you hoped it would do instead?”

“I thought the spell could bring him back, from… from where ever he was. But then Mother said that the link between his body and soul had been severed, so _then_ I thought the spell hadn't worked and wouldn't ever. So when _King Mausinger_ announced there was a monster in the cemetery, I was confused but I'd thought… I thought that _maybe_ he'd come back _after_ all… But… but now I understand.” He hung his head and mumbled. “He really _is_ gone, then.”

Annabelle squeezed his hand. “What about his nightmares? Is there anything you can do about _them?”_

“In the Dream World a dreamer retains full control of the dream _and_ their actions. No longer are they at the whim of wherever their nightmare takes them, and _with_ this control it allows them and _empowers_ them to fight back against the form their fear has taken. But without his confidence…”

“His nightmare would overwhelm him…”

“Indeed.”

“So we'd have to find his missing confidence before you can help him.”

“I'm afraid it will not be quite so simple.”

“What do you mean?” Aurelius asked, his eyebrows knitting into a frown.

“Addressing the issue of the missing piece of your soul _will_ be a vital step on your road to recovery. But patching up your confidence is one thing, Aurelius. It will do nothing to heal you of your _trauma_. _That_ will require _time_. As well as a great deal of love and patience.”

“So… I have to _wait_ before you can help me? _How long?”_

“I don't _know_, Aurelius. That is why you must have _patience_. Such wounds are not healed so _easily_, nor so _quickly_ either.”

Aurelius burst into tears. Annabelle touched his shoulder. “Aurelius…”

“It's not _fair_, Mother, it's not _fair!”_ He sobbed. “All I wanted was to see Father again, that was _all!_ None of this was supposed to _happen!”_

She pulled him into a hug. “I know, sweetie. I know.”

“I wish I'd never _found_ that wretched spell in the _first_ place! Wh… What did I get out of it anyway? _Nightmares?_ No _confidence?_ I don't even _remember_ him anymore.”

“Yes, your memories of your father are being overwritten by this one memory of fear. But they are not _lost_, Aurelius.”

He pulled away from Annabelle and turned to the Conductor with wide, watery eyes. “The… they're _not?”_ He sniffled. “What… what do you _mean?”_

“Bring me King Mausinger, and we will continue this discussion then.”

“But-!”

“One step at a time, Aurelius.”

He swallowed and looked to Annabelle. She nodded. “O-okay.”

“Then it is time for you both to wake up!”

When they opened their eyes again, they were back in the New Moon Rooms and it was now morning.

* * *

The following week:

Aurelius fidgeted with his travel cloak as Annabelle checked her reflection in the mirror. She turned away, satisfied. “Are you ready, sweetie?”

“No…” He mumbled.

She smiled and brushed some of his fringe out of his face. “Don't be afraid, Aurelius. King Mausinger always treated you with kindness and patience when we lived in the castle. I doubt that will change.”

“But that was before…” He jumped and let out a squeak when someone knocked on their front door.

Annabelle opened the door to reveal one of the castle mages, a brown furred mousekind woman dressed in typical sorceress attire. “Good afternoon,” the mage greeted them brightly. “I'm here to Travel you to the castle as requested. Are we ready to go?”

Annabelle and Aurelius exchanged looks and she squeezed his hand. “We're ready.” They stepped out and she locked the door behind them. The mage placed a hand on each of their shoulders and they were whisked away. When they rematerialised in Ding Dong Dell Castle's tripdoor, Aurelius looked up and his eyes boggled.

“This way,” the mage instructed. They followed her into the castle and Aurelius gawked at the interior.

“You used to _live_ here, you know,” Annabelle remarked with an amused smile. “Albeit briefly.”

“I know, but I don't really remember the castle that well.”

“I suppose it _has_ been a while.” His wonder instantly evaporated the moment the throne room came into sight and he froze mid step. Ahead, she could see the King and Queen seated on their throne hand in hand and waiting for them patiently. “It's all right, sweetie,” she soothed. “Do you want to hold my hand?” He swallowed and wordlessly took her hand, and allowed Annabelle to gently guide him forward.

Mausinger and Ratja got to their feet when they approached. “Annabelle and Aurelius Fielding, Your Majesties,” their escort announced.

“Thank you, Evelyn,” said Mausinger. Evelyn curtsied and left and he turned to Annabelle and smiled. “Annabelle. It is a pleasure to see you again.”

Annabelle curtsied and Aurelius bowed awkwardly. “Your Majesties.”

“Is that _Aurelius?”_ Ratja asked. “Gods, you've _grown!”_

“Indeed,” Mausinger agreed. “The last time we saw _you_, Aurelius, you were about the same age and height as our son. Now you are even taller than your _father_.”

“How well do you remember us? Or the castle?”

“Um, not… not very well… Your Majesties,” Aurelius mumbled in reply.

They exchanged looks before descending the stairs that lead up to their throne and Mausinger gestured towards them. “Come, Aurelius. Please, sit.”

“Th… thank you… Your Majesty.” He sank onto the bottom most step and clasped his hands together in his lap.

“Now I am certain you understand why we wish to speak with you, Aurelius?”

“You want to know where I found the spell?”

“Indeed we do.”

“I found it in a book in the Library at Goldpaw.”

“Can you be more specific? As I understand there are quite a number of books in the Library.”

Aurelius dropped his gaze to his hands. “I don't really remember. I was just browsing through some books when I came upon the spell. I didn't take note of what the book was called.”

“Do you remember what it was about?” Ratja asked. “Or the section it was in?”

Mausinger frowned at that. “Doloran said it was a forbidden spell. So I would assume the spell would have been kept in the part of the Library where such spells are held. But I find it difficult to believe that one as you, Aurelius would be able to gain access to such a place.”

“It wasn't in the Restricted Spells section,” Aurelius confirmed. “The page it was on had been torn out of another book and it had been stuffed inside the one I found it in. But I was so excited when I found it that I completely forgot everything else.”

“Then do you have this page?”

“No, Your Majesty. I didn't want it to be found on me, so I took a picture of it and put it back inside the book.”

Mausinger sighed. “I see. Very well. I will send word to Pugnacious so that he can see the spell is destroyed, or at least returned to the proper section, though it _may_ take him some time to find it.”

“I'm… I'm sorry…” Then he was crying all over again. “I'm _sorry_.”

“Aurelius.” Annabelle was by his side and pulling him into a hug.

“I can't do _anything_ right.”

Annabelle hushed him as Mausinger and Ratja exchanged troubled looks. “I hope I did not give the impression that I was _angry_, Aurelius.”

“Do forgive him, Your Majesty. He's lost his confidence, you see.”

“No apology is necessary, Annabelle, that is _quite_ understandable. And I would hope that it will return in time.”

“Actually… There's something we want to ask of you, Your Majesty.”

“By all means. Ask away.”

“I should probably explain first. I mentioned the Conductor in my first letter, well… we went to see him last week and he explained how the Blood Revival Spell really works.”

“Oh? _Do_ tell.”

“The Blood Revival Spell reawakens the memories that reside within a person's remains. But that requires life energy, or in another words a _soul_.”

“Good _heavens_,” Mausinger uttered as Ratja gasped. “What does this mean for Aurelius?”

“A piece of his soul is missing.”

“Gods, _that's_ why!” Ratja exclaimed.

“No _wonder_ he failed to respond to a blood transfusion in the way they had expected,” Mausinger added. “Can anything be _done?”_

“That's what we want to ask of you, Your Majesty. The Conductor says he can heal Aurelius' soul with some confidence. So… would you be willing to share some of yours?”

He placed a hand on his heart._ “M__e__?”_ And exchanged a confused look with Ratja. “What… must I _do?”_

“Return with us to the New Moon Rooms in Evermore to see the Conductor.”

“Evermore? Otto!” Ratja seized his arm. “We could go visit _Evan_.”

“Yes. We could. And we should take Theodore with us, it has been some time since our last excursion.” He turned back to Annabelle. “Excuse me for a moment while I get in touch with Evan.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” While Mausinger stepped away to make the call, she turned to Aurelius. “Are you all right now, sweetie?”

He sniffled. “… I guess.” She smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Aurelius?” Ratja had stepped forward. “Since you mentioned that you took a picture of the spell, it would probably be best if you deleted that picture while we still remember.”

“Um. Of course.” He pulled out his CeeDlink, navigated to the picture and deleted it. “It's done, Your Majesty.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Aurelius.”

Mausinger returned tucking his CeeDlink away into his overcoat. “Evan will speak to the proprietor of the New Moon Rooms about booking us our rooms for tomorrow evening in order to give us all some time to prepare, or otherwise their next available slot. We need only wait.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Annabelle. “There was something else I wanted to ask. We have yet to rebury my husband's body and I was wondering if you wanted to attend.”

“It was very thoughtful of you to consider me, but I must decline. By his own admission it would seem that we were never truly friends, even from the beginning.”

Annabelle blinked. “_Oh. _I'm_… _sorry to hear that.”

“As was I,” he sighed. “But it also lifted a weight off my shoulders at the same time.”

“I see… It… seems I didn't know him as well as I'd thought…”

“Nor did I.” Their moment of silence was interrupted by Mausinger's CeeDlink going off. “Ah. That will be Evan. Excuse me.” He answered the call as he stepped away. “Well Evan, what news?… Ah you _did?_ Excellent, I will let them know. I will have business to attend to in Evermore as previously explained, so we will see you bright and early the following day… As do I. And I'm sure Theodore will be most excited to see you again as well… And you, Evan.” He hung up and turned back. “I have good news. Evan was able to secure us our rooms on the requested night. So now the question remains. Will you be travelling with us or would you prefer to make your own travel arrangements?”

“Well… um…” Annabelle trailed off and exchanged a look with Aurelius.

“Come with us, Annabelle,” said Ratja. To her husband she said, “And let's take Theodore on the airship. He hardly ever gets to travel anywhere by air.”

Mausinger sighed. “Very well. I suppose I cannot deny him that.” To Annabelle. “We will pick you up on the way there, if you would give me your address.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Come now, Annabelle, I see no reason for us to travel separately.”

“Very well, Your Majesty,” she conceded before giving him their address.

“Excellent. Then we will see you tomorrow evening.”

* * *

_Knock, knock._

Annabelle turned away from the hallway mirror. That must be the King and Queen. “Aurelius!” She called upstairs. “They're here! Are you ready to go?”

She heard his faint reply. “Coming.”

So she opened the door to reveal the Mausingers' smiling faces and curtsied. “Your Majesties.”

“Annabelle,” they chorused. “This is our son, Theodore, as I am sure you are already aware,” he continued. “Theodore, this is an old acquaintance of ours, Annabelle Fielding.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs Fielding,” he replied brightly and stuck out a hand.

She smiled and gently shook the hand. “And you, Your Highness.”

“You have a very nice house!”

Her smile brightened. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“And here comes Aurelius,” said Mausinger.

Annabelle turned to find Aurelius had at last descended the stairs and was now pulling on his shoes and travelling cloak.

“Hello!” Theodore greeted him brightly when he joined them at the door.

“Your Highness. Your Majesties.”

“I like your name!”

Aurelius blinked. “Oh… um… thanks…”

“Are we ready to depart?” Mausinger asked.

“We are now,” Annabelle replied. She picked up their travel case, stepped outside and locked the door behind them.

“Wait,” said Theodore. “Isn't _Mr_ Fielding coming?”

There was a moment of silence as they all exchanged looks. “No, Your Highness. My husband is dead.”

“_Ooh,”_ Theodore replied sombrely. “I'm sorry.”

“That's all right. He died a long time ago so it's… it's all in the past.” She glanced at Aurelius as he looked away.

“I asked Zip to give us a lift to Evermore,” Mausinger explained. “He should be arriving shortly, so we should tarry no longer.” He held out an arm for Ratja to take and proceeded on.

“We're taking the airship?!” Theodore asked as he fell in behind.

He smiled back at him. “We are indeed.” Theodore cheered.

“It will be nice to see Zip again,” Ratja commented.

“Yes, it will.”

“We're not taking the public airship?” Annabelle asked.

“I saw no reason to disrupt the public service with our presence,” he replied. “And Zip was more than happy to oblige.”

“I see. I've… not had the pleasure of making his acquaintance before…”

“Then today you shall.”

“Aurelius?” Theodore tugged on his hand and in doing so they both fell back. “I've not seen a mouse with a tail like yours before.”

Aurelius glanced back at his tail and swished it self consciously. “No…” He agreed. “It's, um… not very common among our kind apparently. But, uh… Father had a tail like mine so I must've got it from him.”

“Do people say anything?”

“No but they _stare_.”

He sighed. “People stare at me too.”

“I would imagine that's because you're the Prince.”

“You think so? Do you think they'd stare at me even if my fur _wasn't_ white?”

“Do you not like your fur colour?”

“It makes me stand out. Who else but me has white fur _and_ red hair? If I had brown fur like Father, I could easily look like someone else.”

“Do you _want_ to look like someone else?”

“Maybe… Sometimes…”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“I just thought you'd understand…”

“I'd prefer people to stop staring. But if it bothers you so much, perhaps you should look into Glamour Spells.”

“Glamour Spells?”

“They allow you to change your appearance without _actually_ changing your appearance. You could make your fur and hair any colour you wanted.”

“Glamour spells,” he repeated thoughtfully. Then smiled up at him. “Thank you, Aurelius.”

“Um… you're welcome… Your Highness.”

An airship circled overhead as they approached the landing station. “That must be Zip now,” said Ratja.

“And right on time,” Mausinger added.

The public airship bound for Evermore was in the process of completing its boarding and takeoff procedure. Once it had moved away, Zip landed his airship in the space left behind. The door opened and he stepped out.

“Zip!” Theodore yelped in excitement and ran to meet him as fast as his legs would allow.

“Theo!” Zip scooped him up into a hug and spun him around. “It's great to see you again!” He set him down and ruffled his hair as Theo giggled. “Gosh, _look_ at you. You're so _tall_ now!”

“I'm growing up fast!”

“You sure are, kiddo. You might even be as tall as Otto someday.”

“I hope so!”

He then greeted Mausinger and Ratja with a hug for each. “Otto. Ratja.” He grinned. “You haven't grown at all.”

They smiled at his humour. “It's nice to see you again, Zip,” she said.

“Yes, and thank you once again for agreeing to ferry us to Evermore.”

“Anytime.” He noticed Annabelle and Aurelius standing just behind them. “Who's this?”

“This is Annabelle Fielding, an old acquaintance of ours, and her son, Aurelius. Annabelle, Aurelius, this is Zip Vector, President of Broadleaf.”

They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. “Are we all ready to go?”

Mausinger glanced back at the others before responding. “I believe so.”

“All right. Let's get onboard then. Give me your luggage and I'll get it stowed away.”

“Can I help?” Theo piped up eagerly.

“Of course you can, Theo,” said Ratja. “Why not help Annabelle with her luggage?”

“Okay! May I take your travel case, Mrs Fielding?”

“Thank you, Your Highness. That is most kind.”

Theo took the travel case in both arms and bounded up the steps after Zip, and together they got the luggage safely and securely stowed away. Annabelle sat down in one of the plush seats and looked out of the window. Aurelius flopped down next to her and rested his head on her shoulder. “Tired?” She asked.

“Mmm.” She squeezed as hand.

“Theo, you wanna be my co-pilot for today?”

Theodore turned to his parents with a hopeful expression. “Oh can I? Can I? Please?”

They both chuckled. “I see no reason why you cannot,” Mausinger replied.

“Thank you!”

“Make sure you listen and do everything that Zip tells you to,” Ratja added.

“I will!”

They took their seats in the cockpit. “All right! Everyone ready for take off?” Zip called back.

“We are,” Mausinger replied. Then he added in a low voice. “Pleasecanwejustgetthisoverwith.”

Ratja laughed and patted his hand. “It's all right, Otto. It will all be over soon.”

Mausinger sighed, and then Zip asked. “What do you all say to a _nice, leisurely loop_ around Ding Dong Dell before setting off for Evermore?”

“Oh _can_ we?” Annabelle asked hopefully with her hands clasped together. “I've not seen Ding Dong Dell from the air before; The public airship just goes straight to it's destination.”

Mausinger whined which had Ratja giggling. But then he said, though with some reluctance. “By all means. A loop around Ding Dong Dell for our guests.”

Aurelius squeaked and clutched Annabelle's arm as the airship lifted off from the ground, and she watched with barely concealed amusement as Mausinger did the same to Ratja, who laughed again. But then she became distracted and absorbed by the sight of her beloved home revolving slowly below them as they circled above. “Look at that, Aurelius. Isn't it beautiful?”

“It is,” he agreed. He lowered his voice to ask. “What do you think Father would've made of all this?”

“Before I can imagine he would've been too terrified to look out the window. But afterwards, well… I'm sure he would've loved it.”

Aurelius raised an eyebrow. “Before? Before _what?”_

She glanced at the Mausingers before responding. “I'll… I'll explain later. Why don't we just enjoy the ride?”

He blinked. “Okay…”

When they got to their room in the New Moon Rooms, Annabelle told him what she had been unwilling to explain on the journey over; That Vermine had been corrupted by Doloran. He reacted to the news exactly how she had thought he would; With anger and upset. And it took him some time to calm down enough to go to sleep.

* * *

“Welcome, welcome, King Otto and Ratja Mausinger of Ding Dong Dell, to the Dream World,” the Conductor declared with a bow.

Mausinger smiled. “Evan has told us about you, Mr Conductor. It is a pleasure to finally meet you at last.”

“Indeed, indeed!”

Ratja looked around. “Where's Theo?”

“Worry not, Your Majesty, Prince Theodore is in a dream of his very own. He is having so much fun it seemed a pity to bring it to an end.”

“He was looking forward to meeting you, Mr Conductor. He'll be very sad at having been left out.”

“Hoo hoo! Who says I'm not there with him now?”

“What? But…”

“Now shall we to business?”

“There _was_ a question I wished to ask,” said Mausinger.

“Ask away!”

“You appear to have more knowledge of the Blood Revival Spell than any other. So perhaps you could tell me this. Exactly _how_ did this spell come about?”

“Who can say? But I _can_ tell you this. It did _not_ originate in your world as I'm sure you have come to suspect.”

“Then how did it get here?” Ratja asked.

“It came here on accident, but that is all I can tell you.”

Mausinger frowned and folded his arms. “I see. Well if that is all there is to be said on the matter, then I suppose there is no further reason to delay. What must I do?”

“Simply allow me to take some of your confidence and I will do the rest.”

“Very well. You have my permission.”

“Excellent!” The Conductor produced a small green bottle with heart-shaped stopper. With his hand, he traced a rune in the air and a ball of light emerged from Mausinger's chest and disappeared into the bottle.

“Are you all right?” Ratja asked him as he clutched his heart.

“Ah. Yes. For a moment I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.”

“And now it is _your_ turn, Aurelius.” The Conductor traced another rune in the air and then opened the bottle. The ball of light shot out and sank into Aurelius' chest. Once the glow had subsided, he declared. “And with that your missing confidence is restored!”

“How do you feel?” Annabelle asked.

“Um… I don't feel any different…”

“Did I not tell you? It would do nothing to heal you of your trauma.”

“Yeah…” He hung his head. “I guess not…”

“Take heart, Aurelius,” said Mausinger. “The road to recovery may be a long road to travel, but you do not travel it alone. So long as you remember that, your path will not falter.”

Aurelius glanced at Annabelle before responding. “Thank you… Your Majesty.”

“Now that our business is concluded, do you wish to join your son?” The Conductor asked.

“Yes, we would,” Ratja replied.

“Splendid! You need only take my hand.” He held out his hand and Mausinger and Ratja exchanged looks.

To Aurelius and Annabelle, he said. “We will see you both in the morning then.”

“Your Majesty…” Aurelius began.

“Yes?”

“I didn't thank you for, um… saving me in the cemetery. Or, um… sharing some of your confidence.”

He smiled broadly. “But of course, Aurelius. You are one of my subjects. And as your King it is my duty to help my subjects if it is within my power to do so.” He turned to Ratja. “Shall we, dear heart?”

“We shall,” she replied. They placed their hands on the Conductor's upheld palm and instantly vanished.

The Conductor pounded a fist into his palm with deliberation and declared. “Now then! I believe I have yet to tell you how to restore your lost memories.”

“How?”

“By taking you on a stroll down memory lane. _Your_ Memory Lane to be precise. But in order to _unlock_ your Memory Lane, you need a _key_.”

“What kind of key?”

“An item that is of great importance to you, and one that _preferably_ would have been with you while your father still lived.”

“What about Mr Munchkin?”

“And who is Mr Munchkin pray tell?”

“A whamster plushie. He was a gift from my parents for my first birthday so he's been with me nearly my whole life.”

“Then he is _perfect!”_

“Great! When can we start?”

“Hoo hoo! Your enthusiasm is commendable, Aurelius. But I'm afraid we cannot begin right away.”

“What?! But _why?”_

“I may have patched your soul, Aurelius, but it is _still_ recovering. You must have-”

“_Patience_. I _know,” _he snapped.

“Aurelius.” Annabelle touched his shoulder. “Don't be like that, he has helped you so much already.”

“I _know_,” he sighed. “I'm… _sorry_, Mr Conductor.”

“That is quite all right, Aurelius. I'm sure this must be _very_ frustrating for you. But you _mustn't_ rush into things.”

“Yeah… okay.”

“Very good. I will contact you again when the time is right.”

“Thank you so much for everything you've done, Mr Conductor,” said Annabelle.

“But of course, Annabelle. I am _always_ happy to help. Now, it is time for you both to wake up. Until next we meet, Aurelius.”

Upon opening his eyes, the first thing he did was heave a sigh. “It will be all right, Aurelius,” said Annabelle. “We'll get through this. Together.”

“… Okay,” he replied. And for the first time Aurelius didn't sound so unconvinced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Me while writing chapter 5: Oh god, Aurelius won't stop crying. I've scarred this kid for life.  
**   
**Also while writing I had a moment of “Wait shit. If a piece of Aurelius' soul is missing how would that affect him?” So I had to go back and redo some scenes. In the process this exchange was lost.**
> 
> “Mother please, I'm seventeen. You would think I'm old enough to be on my own for a few hours.”  
“Aurelius, the last time you said that me, you ran off and tried to bring your father back to life, and subsequently nearly got yourself killed.”  
“I've learned my lesson.”  
Annabelle's laugh was bittersweet. “I suppose you have.”


	8. Epilogue

Annabelle turned to Aurelius. “Well? Are you ready?” He nodded. “Who would've thought that we would be doing this a second time?”

He dropped his gaze and mumbled. “Sorry…”

But she cupped his face with one hand and smiled. “It's all right, sweetie. Come on.” When they arrived at the cemetery gates, Aurelius froze. “Sweetie? Are you all right?” He didn't reply, so she took his hand. “It's all right, Aurelius. I'm here.” He met her gaze and she squeezed his hand. “We'll just take little steps, okay?”

“… Okay.” He took one step forward. Then another. Then another. When he had stepped through the gates, Aurelius let go of the breath that he had been holding.

“How are you feeling?”

He swallowed. “Scared… The last time I was here…”

“I know, sweetie. I know.” Annabelle let him stand there for a moment before asking. “Do you think you'll be able to go further in?” He nodded. “Okay. Whenever you're ready then.”

Casper Tanner was waiting for them at Vermine's re-excavated grave. A coffin wrapped in rope lay beside the grave and a wooden frame had been positioned over the opening. “Miss Fielding,” he said by way of greeting. “Ah! This must be Aurelius. I'm glad to see you're out of hospital.”

“Um. Thanks.”

“I'm ready to begin the reburial if you are.”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Can I…? Can I see him?”

“You want me to open the coffin?”

“Yes… Please, I… I want to see him in it.”

“Miss Fielding? Is that all right with you?”

Annabelle looked perplexed. “Do you… do you _really_ want to see that again, Aurelius?”

He nodded. “I think it will help. If I see with my own eyes that he's really in there.”

She sighed. “All right. Please open the coffin, Mr Tanner.”

“Very well.” Casper removed the ropes and pried open the lid of the coffin as Annabelle averted her gaze.

Aurelius felt panic washing over him at the very sight of his father's corpse but clutching Annabelle's arm and taking deep, calming breaths kept the panic at bay. “Th… thank you, Mr Tanner.” And with the coffin closed, the feeling began to abate.

“Is there anything you would like to say?” Casper asked.

They exchanged looks. Aurelius shook his head. “No,” she said. “I believe we said everything we wanted to last time.” They watched in sombre silence as Casper lowered the coffin into the grave using the ropes and wooden frame, and began to fill the grave when they had been removed. “Thank you, Mr Tanner,” she said once the work was done.

Casper simply nodded, collected his tools and left. They stayed there for a while, hand in hand. Eventually Annabelle turned to her son. “Let's go home, Aurelius. It's time to put this chapter in our lives behind us.”

“Okay.” She put her arm around his shoulders and together they walked off without a backward glance.

* * *

“You have returned, I see. I trust it went well?”

“It did! You'll be pleased to hear the soul patch has taken and Aurelius is on his way to recovery. You have King Mausinger to thank for that.”

“_King Mausinger,_” he scoffed. “You could've given him some of _my_ confidence, you know.”

“I most certainly could _not. _Even if you had confidence to spare – which you _don't_ – it would be _tainted_. And even a small sliver of taint would be enough to spread through Aurelius' entire soul. He would become corrupted as you are. Is this something you would want to happen?”

“Would you _trap_ him here as you trapped _me?”_

“Certainly, if he died before the corruption could be broken. Which is precisely why _you're_ here.”

“So you say.”

“It is _true!_ All souls return to Master Zayin. I cannot allow one still steeped in taint to return until that taint has been cleansed. And so here you will remain until your corruption is no more.”

“And having failed in that endeavour yourself, you now plan to get my son involved, do you not? I wouldn't be surprised if you planted the spell _yourself_.”

“I did _no_ such thing!” He replied indignantly. “I won't deny it granted me an opportunity – an _excuse_ even – to get in contact. But if no one was able to intervene in time, Aurelius would have _died_. And he is of no use to anyone dead… No I am afraid his finding the spell was not my doing at all.”

“So what would you have done if this _hadn't_ happened?”

“What indeed? I am afraid that alternative is gone now and I can no longer answer the question. But believe me when I say this, I desire only to help. I wish no harm on anyone.”

“I have no reason to believe anything you say.”

“Then let my actions speak louder than my words. I helped your son-”

“You did _nothing_ while he was _dying!”_

“My domain is the world of dreams, Vincent. I have no power in the waking world. There was nothing that I _could_ do. But I helped him where I _could_, so he could help _you_.”

“But why did you _wait?_ Was _Annabelle_ not good enough?”

“You _deceived_ her, Vincent, and because of that I am afraid that her anger would only _exacerbate_ the situation. Your bond with Aurelius on the other hand remains strong.”

“So why didn't you tell him when you had the chance?”

“Because he is not ready to let you go. And he _must_.”

“Then tell me _this_. How do you suppose Aurelius will react when you inform him that you've been keeping me here this whole time?”

“I'm sure he will understand when I tell him _why_.”

A smirk. “I suppose we'll see.”

“I suppose we _shall_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: And that's the end! :D Hope you enjoyed the ride and I'll see you again next time. C:**


End file.
